Theopropus elegans

[sufistic]

Family: Hymenopodidae

Sub-Family: Hymenopodinae

Genus: Theopropus

Species: Theopropus elegans (Westwood, 1832)

Distribution: Myanmar, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo

First wild-caught female laid an ooth on the 13th of December 2009. She wasn't mated in captivity but there's a huge chance that the ooth is fertile judging from how it looks externally. Based on this <a href="http://harabiro.com/hyoumonn%20rannnnou%20no%20kou.html" target="_blank">site</a> by the Japanese, it does look fertile. All we can do is wait and see. Wish us luck!

<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t227/sufistic/Theopropus%20elegans%20IGM%20175/P1040715.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t227/sufistic/Theopropus%20elegans%20IGM%20175/P1040717.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Second wild-caught female laid an ooth today (15th December), 9 days after confirmed copulation on the 6th of December 2009 by a wild-caught male (now dead).

<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t227/sufistic/Theopropus%20elegans%20IGM%20175/P1040719.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t227/sufistic/Theopropus%20elegans%20IGM%20175/P1040725.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

[mantisfart2]

Hope it hatches, it would be great to see these in culture again, good luck.

 

[sufistic]

Hope it hatches, it would be great to see these in culture again, good luck.

Thanks bro, I'll send some nymphs over to you for culturing in UK if they hatch.

 

[beckyl92]

i want somee

 

[[email protected]]

Good luck with them, seems like you soon will have a tun of ooths!

 

[beckyl92]

is it me or do they look like they're wearing bright red lip stick?

:lol:

 

[[email protected]]

She had to look nice for her big day on the web !

 

[sufistic]

i want somee

Sure thing Becky. Just keep on wishing us luck.

Good luck with them, seems like you soon will have a tun of ooths!

Many thanks. They will most probably hatch after a month so we better get our FF cultures ready. Sucks that they're not readily available here.

is it me or do they look like they're wearing bright red lip stick? :lol:

Yeah they sure look like they're wearing lipstick!

She had to look nice for her big day on the web !

LOL.

 

[Rick]

Congrats.

 

[ABbuggin]

Nice! Hope they hatch handsomely for you.

 

[revmdn]

Good luck, hope you get lots nymphs. Keep us updated.

 

[sufistic]

Congrats.

Nice! Hope they hatch handsomely for you.

Good luck, hope you get lots nymphs. Keep us updated.

Thanks guys. Will keep you posted.

 

[Katnapper]

As with your other rarer species, again I suggest not sending offspring out until you have a successfully large culture going with a couple of generations. And then, sending ooths is preferrable, as they are more likely to survive shipping out of country than live nymphs or adults.

Very best of luck with them!!!

 

[yen_saw]

Nice looking ooth Shaik.

I have a rather low hatching rate last time, only about 15-20 nymphs hatched out from one ooth certainly hope you have a higher hatch rate. All the best with it.

 

[sufistic]

As with your other rarer species, again I suggest not sending offspring out until you have a successfully large culture going with a couple of generations. And then, sending ooths is preferrable, as they are more likely to survive shipping out of country than live nymphs or adults.Very best of luck with them!!!

Again, you're right Becky. Your suggestion is sound. Unless some members wanna get some of the ooths I currently have which may be infertile but I'd rather not let them take the risk.

Nice looking ooth Shaik. I have a rather low hatching rate last time, only about 15-20 nymphs hatched out from one ooth certainly hope you have a higher hatch rate. All the best with it.

Thanks Bro. I do hope that they hatch well. Would love to get this culture going again. I read a PDF by a local university here and their wild-caught female laid an ooth which hatched around 120 nymphs! They seemed to just let the ooth be, no misting or anything else. Some people are just lucky.

Another female laid a long ooth today but it looks kinda funny. I'm guessing it's because I forgot to remove a cricket from its enclosure. Luckily she laid on the lid because if she laid anywhere else the ooth would've probably been destroyed by the cricket.

 

[ismart]

Wow! All your females are working hard! I hope you get great hatch rates!

 

[sufistic]

Wow! All your females are working hard! I hope you get great hatch rates!

Thanks Paul. I'm expecting 1 more female to lay soon. 3 females molted into adults in captivity so there's no chance of their ooths becoming fertile. I'm gonna release them into the nature reserve here since this species is endemic here. They'll have a better chance of finding a mate in the wild because no one has any males they could sell me.

 

[yen_saw]

Thanks Paul. I'm expecting 1 more female to lay soon. 3 females molted into adults in captivity so there's no chance of their ooths becoming fertile. I'm gonna release them into the nature reserve here since this species is endemic here. They'll have a better chance of finding a mate in the wild because no one has any males they could sell me.

Shaik, if possible try to feed them flies instead, and don't leave ccricket wondering around the cage if the mantis is not interested in feeding. You could try to lure flies with prawn shell, squid, basically smelly seafood, the flies can smell it from miles, but don't do it from your condo

Females can live a long time, you can raise a male to adult from hatchling in as little as 2 months so maybe there is a chance if your ooth hatch soon. Ooth could take about 40 days to hatch.

 

[sufistic]

Shaik, if possible try to feed them flies instead, and don't leave ccricket wondering around the cage if the mantis is not interested in feeding. You could try to lure flies with prawn shell, squid, basically smelly seafood, the flies can smell it from miles, but don't do it from your condo Females can live a long time, you can raise a male to adult from hatchling in as little as 2 months so maybe there is a chance if your ooth hatch soon. Ooth could take about 40 days to hatch.

Great suggestion Yen. I'm trying to trap some flies as we speak. Gotta do it from my apartment balcony though so that neighbours don't complain lol. I will usually gut-load my crickets first before feeding them to my mantids.