Whats the average length of a chinese mantis?

[Rick]

This is interesting to know, there must be rumors going around about size, I was expecting anywhere beetween 4 and 6 inches for my chinese mantids that I hatched out of ooths that I purchased. I have been measuring all of my mantids from head(eyes without antennae) to tip of abdomen. I was expecting some long mantids :blink: . I guess I will find the truth some time. I found my first L4 this afternoon and I was expecting more, on account of what I had read previously about Tenodera sinensis. I think that perhaps some people measure other parts of anatomy when estimating length of the mantid.

Well I think that most people see them but are not carrying a ruler around. THey are very large insects and when a person recalls what they saw they assume it was much larger than it was. Kinda like fish.

 

[lancaster1313]

Tall tales and fish stories, that could explain it. :lol:

 

[LauraMG]

So Rick, are you saying I never really caught that 12 foot catfish?

 

[Rick]

So Rick, are you saying I never really caught that 12 foot catfish?

Yep.

 

[LauraMG]

Oh no! My cover is blown! Gotta go....

 

[PhilinYuma]

So Rick, are you saying I never really caught that 12 foot catfish?

Scientifically, there is no such thing as a "12 foot catfish". Had you looked closely, you would have seen that the six front "feet" are actually hands.

 

[LauraMG]

Ha!

 

[manzano167]

Thanks for your answers guys! and that Catfish mystery lol

 

[hibiscusmile]

I see it is time for a test, be right back

 

[hibiscusmile]

ok, here is an American chinese mantis female molted for one week.

As one can see, she is just 4"

now, one from Africa,

She also is just 4", this one just molted yesterday, I did think that this one would be bigger, but they were not, I thought that, because just before the final molt, they are a lot bigger than the American breed chinese.

 

[manzano167]

Awesome BTW was it her last molt?

 

[JoeCapricorn]

Emerald, my first pet mantis was also the largest from last year at 4 1/2 inches. I have seen 5 inchers but no sixers or seveners. I doubt the latter two are even possible, and 5 inches is gigantic for this species.

Are there mantis species that reach six inches or more?

 

[hibiscusmile]

A mantis with their wings is last molt.

 

[Rick]

Funny, I was correcting some people on another site. A mantis topic popped up. Guy took a pic of a carolina mantis nymph. One person said it was walking stick after I told them what it was. Several people posted about how they find huge, 7 inch mantids every year. When I said they only reach a max of about 4 inches, a few people said they know they were much larger.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Nothing like carrying a ruler with ya!

but then one has to know how to read them

 

[lancaster1313]

Nothing like carrying a ruler with ya!

but then one has to know how to read them

:lol: I have worked in construction and found out that some people just can't measure.

 

[manzano167]

lol!

 

[Chief Tom]

Yep, that's what I said too- 4 to 4 1/2 inches.