Spiny Flower Mantids

[Paradoxica]

My first pair of Wallies just molted to adult overnight I'm so stoked.

Looking at the care sheet though, there are some major holes in the info. How long should I wait to try to mate these guys? Also I had heard that the males need to be slowed down, but the male that molted to adult was the only one that I didn't try to slow down. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[sally]

No insure but Yay!! They are so beautiful. Hope you have many babies

 

[Rick]

The general rule is to wait a couple weeks before trying. You also don't need to 'slow the male down.' He will still be alive with plenty of time to breed them. It sounds like they molted to adult about the same time which is fine.

 

[twolfe]

I raised them for 2 years. I never had to slow down the males. If they molted to an adult first, it was usually just 1 - 2 weeks ahead of the females. Sometimes the females molted first. For me, the wahlbergii males live longer than many males of other species. The ones that weren't eaten have lived 4 - 5 months and longer after their final molt, though they lose interest in the end. The females are obvious about calling if you check after dark. Some have been as ready as early two weeks, and others don't call for 3 - 4 weeks.

Keep us posted on your progress. I did well with this species for a long time. But with the last generation and the ones someone else gave me (same bloodline), the male appears to just ride on the female's back. I never see him try to connect. Hopefully they did because one of the females ate my last male after a couple of weeks in the same net.

 

[Termite48]

Hello. I have some of the Wallies that we all got in S.F. Valley when we met. Mine have been adults for over a week. I believe I have had one effective mating so far. They are mounted almost at all times on and off throughout the day. I have to separate them now and then to give the one female who is accepting, a break. There are three adult females and two adult males. Good luck with yours.

Rich

 

[agent A]

males live a very long time but they sometimes refuse to connect

 

[Termite48]

I just removed my active male from the back of the receptive female. I will not allow him to ride for free hour after hour. If he has the brain that he was born with me might figure out that he must do some sperm donation before he is allowed to continue his riding. By the way, mine are ooth-mates to Paradoxa's living forty miles S. in L.A. also. The diet consists of wild caught house flies and Blue and Green Bottle flies. An occasional monster fly (some type of sarcophagid) is given. They spend a large share of the daylight hours outside in the shade.

 

[Paradoxica]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[bobericc]

My males life expectancy dropped after connection, one successfully connected and died a week later the other male that never did lived a month and a half more

 

[Paradoxica]

One more question: can the females fly too?

 

[agent A]

One more question: can the females fly too?

i have never seen either gender fly and ive had half a dozen adults

 

[twolfe]

One more question: can the females fly too?

I've seen both males and females fly. But it's been rare with the females, and they always surprise me when they do it. They don't fly very far. One disappeared on me in a matter of seconds once, and I found her sunning herself under a UVB lamp that I had in the room. I didn't actually see her fly there, but it happened so quickly she must have flown.

 

[Paradoxica]

I made my first mating attempt yesterday with no real interest from the male, but I woke up this morning to them connected they continued mating about an hour more and then separated.

(sorry for the crappy pic, I didn't want to disturb them)

But just about an hour after they separated, I saw her ejecting the spermatophor. I've never seen a female do this so soon after a mating. I hope this doesn't mean that the mating didn't take.

 

[sally]

I wonder about this also... I found some next to my mated T sinensis. Why does it come out? I thought they stored it. Time to do some research

 

[AxolotlsAreCoolToo]

great job mate. make sure what your keeping them in is highly ventilated my adults would always died not to long into adulthood and i think it was for that reason. if you wanna sell an ooth pm me in the future

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I wouldn't be concerned if you see a glob of spermatophore ejected or even eaten shortly after mating. Some of it is just excess gunk and chances are plenty of the actual sperm was absorbed. I know my Creo girl flicked off a glob only moments after mating and she proved to be very fertile with all her oothecae hatching nice swarms of nymphs from that one breeding.

 

[agent A]

ive seen creos do this and eat the spermetaphores and still be VERY prolific

 

[Paradoxica]

Glad to hear that, up until now I've only seen this happen many many hours later.

 

[Paradoxica]

Just got another pair to mate

A different male had been on her back for 4 days without connecting, I got home to her chomping on his arm (I was able to save him but his left arm has no more spines). So I put a different male in and he mounted within 1 minute and an hour later he was connected! This guys is a little stud!