Stagmomantis limbata (?)

[rbird]

Ok, here she is. Stagmomantis limbata? Found her in Los Angeles.

(Edit: better pics scroll down.)



She molted within days after I found her (after eating ff like crazy.) I waited a day after her molting then tried to feed her ff again. She couldn't catch the ff any more, she kept missing them, I'm thinking it's because she grew so much bigger and then the ff were too small to catch? or too soon to feed after molting? I was surprised how much she grew.



These were quick pics but I don't have a macro lens to compete here! I'll have to hone my picture skills...

 

[PrayingMantisPets]

Might be a Stagmomantis limbata, or a stagmomantis californica. Im not so sure though, im not too familiar with those species.

 

[CosbyArt]

It could be both - seems soon after molting they have to get use to their larger size (especially when catching small flies). Could be the smaller flies are too small now as well. How large is the mantid now? May be time to move up to larger Hydei ff or house flies.

 

[mantisman 230]

She is much too large for fruit flies! Feed her crickets moths and larger flies, as she is a presubadult.

 

[rbird]

Definitely needed bigger food after molting. I fed her up with a honey bee and some flies I caught outside. She ate them dead when I offered them to her with tweezers!

I bought some crickets until I get something better like a house fly culture, etc.

She's about 1 1/2 in. now.

Thanks

 

[Danny.]

Definitely needed bigger food after molting. I fed her up with a honey bee and some flies I caught outside. She ate them dead when I offered them to her with tweezers!

I bought some crickets until I get something better like a house fly culture, etc.

She's about 1 1/2 in. now.

Thanks

No need for crickets just keep feeding flies.

 

[rbird]

This is the "Before" molt pic from Sunday, she molted last night, "After" molt pic coming Tuesday.

I'm leaning towards Stagomantis Californica since this molt. Once she dries out for a day, I will take another pic and hopefully it'll show the brownish color change that I see on her body.

 

[rbird]

Ok, Tuesday, "after" molt pic here;

With the brown coloring now I'm thinking Stagmomantis Californica ?



Anyone have a male ?



What do you think?

 

[Jay]

Great find, Rbird!

My thought is, once she is adult and calling, take her back to the area you found her (at night) in some kind of net cage and wait for a male to appear.

 

[MantidLord]

Looks like S. limbata to me.

 

[rbird]

Looks like S. limbata to me.

Ok, I'm back to S. limbata too ha, ha.

I don't see a turquoise upper lip but she's not an adult yet either.

I got the lip id info. from this link;

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=31194

 

[rbird]

Great find, Rbird!

My thought is, once she is adult and calling, take her back to the area you found her (at night) in some kind of net cage and wait for a male to appear.

Good idea and easy enough to try since she was found in my yard.

(I saw another mantis weeks earlier but I was off to work and didn't have time to catch it.)

 

[rbird]

S. limbata it is! ... I think...

Based on the blue upper lip. (pics appear "washed out" on my screen.)



Looks like a blue lip to me... ? What's it look like on your screen?



She's a darker tan and brown than these pictures show.



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At first, I thought these 'Ninja' moves were angry or defensive ones... nope, just cleaning up after eating.

 

[rbird]

opps... double posted...

 

[MantidLord]

Good idea and easy enough to try since she was found in my yard.

(I saw another mantis weeks earlier but I was off to work and didn't have time to catch it.)

Unfortunately this isn't a full proof method to determine the species if that's what you were trying to do by luring males to her. In several species of mantids, there have been instances where female calling has attracted heterospecific males. So you could end up attracting both californica and limbata males (if they're present and are attracted/detect the signal).

That said, I'm even more certain it's limbata.

 

[mantisman 230]

There will be a huge size difference between the two species, S. californica is the smaller of the US Stagmomantid species. S. Limbata is the largest, and the males are unmistakable.

 

[rbird]

If all goes well, we'll see what she attracts when an adult and calling.

Here's a size reference for her;



All these recent pics are better representations of her color. Especially the yellow-ish appearing on, what I believe is, her Mesothorax.



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[Jay]

Hmm... In all my years of living in Arizona and seeing S. limbata many times I never have never seen a female that was not green. And Arizona (especially the Tucson area) tends to be incredibly dry! Not to disagree with anyone and not to say that other morphs cannot exist, but just saying...

 

[Danny.]

Hmm... In all my years of living in Arizona and seeing S. limbata many times I never have never seen a female that was not green. And Arizona (especially the Tucson area) tends to be incredibly dry! Not to disagree with anyone and not to say that other morphs cannot exist, but just saying...

Mine started off green and turned a light brown when adult.