some pics from Houston museum of science

[Orin]

Orin, there is species name Deroplatys horificata/ D. anguscata. The butterfly farm in Penang island (Malaysia) is breeding them. The attached link also provide reserch report about rare mantis in Malaysia including yellow flower mantis.http://www.butterfly-insect.com/butterfly-...ct/r&b.html

Well i could be wrong! if that's the case the breeding center is wrong too :!: :?:

Yes, the 'breeding' center is wrong.

That they have misidentified their animlas isn't so strange but what is really odd is they send one batch of lobata labeled horrificata and another batch of the same animals (both are from the same exact supplier) labeled desiccata.

 

[Orin]

P.S. I'll bet you $500.

 

[yen_saw]

Thanks for the clarification. I trust you :wink:

So D. horrificata is not another name for D. Lobata.

 

[Orin]

Just like big foot, there's no proof he doesn't exist, just no proof that he does. Here's all I can tell you for sure:

1. The 3 species have very specific and identifiable pronotum shapes that are well-documented.

2. The ones sold by that place as horrificata are lobata.

 

[Chris Dickie]

i thought the yellow flower mantis was theoprobus elegans (think thats how you spell it)

this is why I really don't like common names, lol

 

[yen_saw]

I think the scientific name is Parhymenopus Davidsoni, i was not aware that there is another kind of yellow flower mantis but that could just be my lack of knowledge in mantis name.

 

[DMJ]

Cuddle Fish are cool. I use to mess with them at Sea World when I use to work there. Nice pics would love to visit that place.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, thats the name yen. Managed to get in contact with them? Graham is emailing them, saying he is some biological something or other, which, techincally he is, and asking them if they can ship him over a few....lets hope they do!

Cheers,

Ian

 

[Chris Dickie]

Ive never got prices from this company in particular but people I have contacted before in Malaysia and they have been exteremely pricey e.g. $50 per Orchid Mantis

Also I do know of places in the UK buying Malaysian insects from this company but they had to buy pupae at the same time as they were told collecting insects alone was not worth enough money.

Be interesting to hear what they say to Graham.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, though they would be horrendous prices. Well, I am sure Graham can ween his way around them, he did it in customs, lol!

Cheers,

Ian