i have a fwd speices on there way from lars..1 is a pair of Tarachodes spec.My question is has any one got any info on these..temps.humdierty..im guessing they feed on flys?how big do they grow to?any one got any pics of adults and nymphs?
I'll share my info on this sp. as long as you promise not to pick about my teeth anymore. :lol:
Anyway, I keep mine around 85 degrees and LOW humidity. I do LIGHTLY mist them one or two times a day (depends what kind of mood I'm in), but only enough that it evaporates within half an hour. Also make SURE they have ventilation. Keeping them too humid, with low ventilation is a death sentence for this species. Trust me I know, because when I first got this species over a year ago I lost 8 overnight because of this!
They are fine being kept together, but like most mantids, only if they have plenty of food and space. Make sure you have lots of skinny sticks (1/16"-1/8" thick), like Mantida suggested for them to cling to. They LOVE to "hug" these.
Tarachodes will eat almost anything that is big enough for them to grab, especially the adult females. The adult females get simply VICIOUS after laying an ooth (more so than other mantids). My female will down 6-7 blue bottles, in one day, after laying an ooth. :blink:
L1 nymphs are [SIZE=8pt]tiny[/SIZE], a little longer than 1/2 cm. The adult female is about 1" 1/4 and the male a bit smaller.
This species in VERY good at hiding (they are pretty timid), and when you have a lot the only real way to find them all is to mist the enclosure. Then the "sticks" begin to move. :lol: I have found that if you keep them on black sticks they turn chocolate brown, and when you keep them a wooden dowel (very light tan, almost white) they are a tan color (like a sun tan after you have mowed the lawn).
I will post some of the pics I have (the rest are on the other laptop that isn't here) just as soon as they finish loading to photobucket.
AB
