How do you sex a common american mantid?

Deliverme314 · Nov 1, 2003

Caught a 4.5 inch common green mantid today... I assume by its size that its a mature female... she was also aggressive and the belly is fat so possibly gravid. But I would like to be sure because if its a male I want to get it out in the wild quickly so it can go find a mate before the freezing starts...

Navaros · Nov 1, 2003

Put it in a clear container and look at its stomach.There are segments, like plates of armor.Count them.If there are 5 or 6 it is a female.If there are more, like 8 segments it is a male.

Deliverme314 · Nov 1, 2003

Originally posted by Navaros
Put it in a clear container and look at its stomach.There are segments, like plates of armor.Count them.If there are 5 or 6 it is a female.If there are more, like 8 segments it is a male.

THANKS MAN! Its a chic... i have it set up in a kritter keeper on its end like a tarantula arboreal set up. I was 99% sure it was based on the little I have read about mantids... have always wanted to step into their realm with orchid mantids... but I guess I will start with this hussy who I also think is gravid... woot.

Frank · Nov 1, 2003

Is the segment method right for all mantids? Or for Chinese mantids at least? Is it possible to sex them when they're young or do they have to be mature to have differences in the segments?

Thanks, Frank

Navaros · Nov 2, 2003

No problem.=) I think every species of mantid can be sexed at L3. But with some species, like wahlbergii etc. it is harder to count their segments.Keep fattening her up, hopefully you will get some oothecae.I caught a nice female chinese about a week ago and a male the other day and mated them, so hopefully I will have some babies this spring.=)

Deliverme314 · Nov 2, 2003

Originally posted by Navaros
No problem.=) I think every species of mantid can be sexed at L3. But with some species, like wahlbergii etc. it is harder to count their segments.Keep fattening her up, hopefully you will get some oothecae.I caught a nice female chinese about a week ago and a male the other day and mated them, so hopefully I will have some babies this spring.=)

This may be a dumb question... in fact I am sure it is... when you say chinese and caught it... am I to assume that mantids are not native? That they are introduced to the states... how else could you catch one in Jersey... sorry if this was a really dumb question.

Navaros · Nov 2, 2003

Haha, yeah they are introduced.
Tenodera aridifolia sinensis
They live in all but 2 states in the US I think.You can also buy oothecae from some nurseries and hatch them in your garden as a natural pest control.

Jesse607 · Nov 2, 2003

The chinese mantid is not native to the U.S., but is very common throughout. On another note, an orchid mantid is probably not the best mantid to start out with, and there are many other very interesting exotic mantids available now for those that are interested, that are in fact just as easy or more easy to take care of than the chinese mantid, if interested check out these links http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?threadid=16786.

Navaros · Nov 2, 2003

Nobody even mentioned orchid mantids....:?
They are Hymenopus coronatus...not Pseudocreoboter wahlbergii/ocellata.But yeah sinensis is probably the most common species of mantid in the US.

Deliverme314 · Nov 2, 2003

Originally posted by Navaros
Nobody even mentioned orchid mantids....:?
They are Hymenopus coronatus...not Pseudocreoboter wahlbergii/ocellata.But yeah sinensis is probably the most common species of mantid in the US.

I did. I had mentioned that I wanted one and that maybe this... apparently "Chinese mantid"

that I was calling a common american

would be a good way to get a foot hold on the mantid hobby... my only thing with mantids is... are there any that livve more than a few month spast maturity? IS this true for females also?

Navaros · Nov 2, 2003

Hehe woops.Missed that.Sorry jezzy.Orchids really aren't that difficult.They are pretty much the same as any other mantid but the problem with breeding them is that males mature a lot faster than females and die before the females reach breeding age.They are also pretty rare in the US so it is VERY hard to get 2 bloodlines with a male and female maturing at the same age.If you try breeding 2 from the same ootheca, you have to keep the males cooler and with less food to keep their growth in tune with the females.But jezzy was right, there are a lot of awesome species available in the US that would be better to start with.

How do you sex a common american mantid?

Deliverme314

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Navaros

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Deliverme314

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Frank

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Deliverme314

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Jesse607

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Deliverme314

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