your favorite mantises

[Bryce08]

I also really like Sphodromantis spp.They have monster mandibles that are incredible to see in motion.

Its very impressive, and kinda scary at the same time.

I love them, Im glad someone else takes notice and adv. of it!

This is my sp Lineola male when sub adult

 

[Psychobunny]

I love your pic

Great angle, and love the blurry edges.

P.S. Oh wait!! I need to be on topic!!

My fav is cilnia humeralis.

I love their body shape, nice big bright green head with expresive eyes

 

[hibiscusmile]

yes, the lineola is a nice mantis, gee what a mouth :clown:

 

[rs4guy]

Predator status!

 

[agent A]

i love lineola! just not when i am infested with them :lol:

 

[jcal]

Ghosts always come out on top. My first and still my fav.

Very unique mimicry and small enough to fit in a 32oz.

 

[Chivalry]

They just die off easily, but the last 3 ooths I have hatched this month, I have done something different with them and the die off is lessening. I have started to mist them two and three times a day till the first molt and it is helping. Maybe they just need more water, but it seems to be working. Maybe someone start a Chinese con thread and we can work on it from there.

Anyone I might know?

Yes -- in my experience they mismolt like crazy, get legs stuck like crazy. I'd say I pulled stuck legs out of exoskeletons about 40% of the time, BUT I only lost one. And, after about L4 it gets a lot better.

I had thought to release these guys into my garden come the warm weather but they're getting really cute. I'll post pics later in the pic section.

 

[Chivalry]

It'd be sooo hard for me to pick one favorite. For beginner friendly I have 2 recommendations. One that I don't hear a lot, Miomantis paykullii if you like active, friendly, and doesn't get very big. We LOVE ours.

I also adore my Hierodula majuscula. Very striking, very big, not too jumpy, not many mismolts, and active prey-stalkers. What else could you ask for?

 

[zjuckett]

What could fit into an Exo Terra 12x12x12?

 

[Chivalry]

You could put several ghosts in that, and they are great to have communally, fun to watch interact. Or if you want one big one, Hierodula majuscula or Hierodula membranacea.

 

[whatislove]

+1 for Hierodula majuscula

It is exactly what somebody who knows nothing about mantids thinks of when someone says praying mantis, they are very green, can get quite large and mine just loves to be handled, crawls straight onto my hand as soon as I put it into the enclosure.

My personal favourite is my idolomantis diabolica's though, not a very good beginner species however.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

1) Idolomantis Diabolica

2) Plistospilota guineensis

3) Orchids

I tend to lean toward the rarer, larger, and hard to raise/breed species. I like a good challenge now and then.

 

[zack4211]

i find that African mantids are very docile and are good eaters and a nice hefty size.

Great for beginners!

 

[kitkat39]

Deroplatys Lobata Females.. males make me wanna roll up a newspaper....

-Get big

-Docile

-Gets me oooo's and ahhhh's each time anyone sees them

-eat anything I throw in there

-Live a long time

-Comfortable at MY room temperature

 

[uralowl]

Orchid Mantis

Ghost Mantis

Spiny Flower Mantis

Indian Flower Mantis

Malaysian Orchid Mantis

Devil's Flower Mantis

I haven't raised all of the mantids on that list, but they're some of my faves. If you google images of any of them, they're all very beautifully coloured mantids.

 

[maybon]

I have not kept this species but I think that since it is a Hierodula it would be similar to my majuscula's but the Hierodula salomonis – Jade Mantis are the most amazing mantids I have ever seen pictures of (but I think the green ones with patterns are the coolest). If I had to choose a cryptic looking species I think Blepharopsis mendica would be the next winners.

 

[Mirk]

Well I dont think i have a favorite but I had to pick it would be one of these

Idolomantis Diabolica

Dead leaf Mantis( havnt had any yet but want D. Desiccata)

Mega mantis(Plistospilota guineensis) also havn't had one yet

Devils Flower mantis(Blepharopis mendica)

i also love the ghosts and pretty much all the hierodula, sphodromantis... oye, well i guess I like them all pretty damn equally. also tired of getting the right spelling or finding their common names

Also on the chinese, I feel water is important but not so much in the form of humidity. I feel they just need to be well hydrated to slip outta their exoskelingtons moreso then anything, i dont think humidity plays as big of part as other species. Of the hatches i had this spring, i had escapees and have been leaving them be as they seem to stay fat finding little critters in the room. but my humidity in that room is usually at about <20-30% and never more then 40% and they are molting just fine. i mean i still get mismolts, but i get more problems from the nymphes trying to share meals and biting eachother or just flat out eating eachother. The ones I seem to have the most mismolts with are the under-fed skinny guys. I am currently keeping about 30-40 4th and 5th instar in 2 30 gallon terrariums communally(too many numbers in one sentence) with another 12 in deli cups that are either a molt ahead or behind the big tank mantids.

I dunno maybe I just have good luck with the chinese. Also of the 6 species I have now the chinese are the only ones I see that will actually seek out water sources for a drink.

 

[Mirk]

oh and i dont have any blephs either, not that it matters

 

[massaman]

orthoderas are not that hard to raise either or miomantis binatata though I am still waiting on my mio ooth to hatch and popa spurca or rhombodera

 

[mutrok4040]

1) Idolomantis Diabolica

2) Plistospilota guineensis

3) Orchids

I tend to lean toward the rarer, larger, and hard to raise/breed species. I like a good challenge now and then.

Lol, I think we are talking about beginner species!