Matt82's Mantids

I'm not sure if this it the section for "other invert" pictures, but I couldn't see a designated section. I can to move this to the appropriate section if necessary.

First up Idolomantis Diabolica/ Devil Flower Mantis: A few progression shots

L1

I. diabolica/Devil Flower Mantis, 1st instar. by inverta_shot, on Flickr

L2

I. diabolica/Devil Flower Mantis, 2nd instar. - outdoor shot by inverta_shot, on Flickr

L3

Devil Flower Mantis by inverta_shot, on Flickr

L4

Ido-lean... by inverta_shot, on Flickr

L5

Idolo feeding... by inverta_shot, on Flickr

L6

Idolomantis diabolica - feeding photos [2] by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Idolomantis diabolica - feeding photos [1] by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Idolomantis diabolica - feeding photos [3] by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Idolomantis diabolica - feeding photos [4] by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Awesome pics!!! I love mantids but I think most of them are a little more difficult to take care of than tarantulas. This one is stunning!

njnolan1 said:

Awesome pics!!! I love mantids but I think most of them are a little more difficult to take care of than tarantulas. This one is stunning!

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Thank you ,glad you liked the photos

To put it roughly, mantids are generally split into two types; "normal" species, and mimic species. It is true that a lot of the flower/ leaf mimics are delicate, with more specific captive requirements, and therefore a little difficult to keep at times, but the "normal" types, eg: Giant Asian Mantis, Marbled Mantis etc, all thrive at apx 65-75 F, and are a lot more forgiving to husbandry errors. P. paradoxa/ Ghost mantids are a good example of a mimic type that seem to be a little easier to keep than others.

Just to note, I would not discourage anyone keeping whichever species they choose, just some species require a little more research, whereas others suit the total beginner a lot more.


Here's a couple of my P. aeruginosa/ Giant Madagascan Marbled Mantis, both SA female in these shots. The bright green one is a fluke of nature, most others display darker hues of green at the SA stage, like the second specimen. They are siblings! There are variable hues of green amongst individual specimens, but that one was especially bright.

I would describe these as the perfect starter mantis IMO - hardy, ever hungry, tolerable of relatively low temps, and also attain an impressive size.

Green Machine... by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Wings sprouting... P. aeruginosa by inverta_shot, on Flickr

And a little L3 P. paradoxa/ Ghost Mantis

Ghost Mantis - 0.4inch/10mm nymph by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Adult female P. aeruginosa/ Giant Madagascan Marbled Mantis


Polyspilota aeruginosa - Adult Female by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Marbled Mantis - wings developed by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Start of Threat Display... by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Midway Threat Display... by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Full Threat Display... by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Amazing. Thanks for letting us see these beautiful animals.

Wow, these are some amazing pictures of some incredible mantids! I grew up in Tokyo and remember catching them with my brother, but I haven't really kept any before. These pictures have me seriously thinking about starting. Keep them coming!

MrCrackerpants said:

Amazing. Thanks for letting us see these beautiful animals.

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No problem, happy to share the pics, glad you enjoyed looking at them!

jayefbe said:

Wow, these are some amazing pictures of some incredible mantids! I grew up in Tokyo and remember catching them with my brother, but I haven't really kept any before. These pictures have me seriously thinking about starting. Keep them coming!

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Thanks a lot, that sounds awesome; catching wild mantids in Tokyo of all places! I actually spent a lot of the Summer of 2010 in Oregon (Portland, Tilllamook County, Rockaway beach), very diverse wildlife there, are US species of mantids prolific there?

Thanks to the efforts of one mantis hobbyist/breeder in Dublin, ireland, 2011 saw the Irish herp scene flooded with various species of mantids, and made them accessible to a lot of interested invert fans. The fact that they are so cheap caused my collection of them to grow quite fast too. Most species are very short lived compared to tarantulas, and some species move up an instar every 12-14 days!
The P. aeruginosa I showed here (along with the I. diabolica) is where I started and have acquired a few specimens of other species since then. I would recommend them as a starter, along with H. membranacea, or P. paradoxa. There are other good starters, but those are 3 good choices, esp. the first 2. I am picking up a male P. aeruginosa tomorrow, and will attempt my first mantis breeding project over the coming weeks.

Thanks for the comments folks


Here are a few more photos, this time of Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii/ Spiny Flower mantis.
These are a species I really like, but I have had limited success getting them past the pre-sub/ sub adult stage unfortunately.
There have been reports of entire batches of Mantids not doing well and that may have been a factor here, but I can't confirm that. I do know they went downhill rapidly on me, despite keeping them in optimum conditions. A beautiful but tiny mimic species.


Spiny Flower Mantis L4 by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Spiny Flower Mantis - 5th instar by inverta_shot, on Flickr


L6 Spiny by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii no.2 by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Thanks for looking.

pavel said:

Beautiful mantids, Matt. That first pic of the L1 Idolomantis was exquisite!

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Thank you very much Pavel, glad you liked it!

Here's a couple of Marbled Mantis feeding shots

Bobbing for Wax Worms... by inverta_shot, on Flickr


A Predator Unmasked... by inverta_shot, on Flickr


Ensnared... by inverta_shot, on Flickr

Glad people have enjoyed looking at these photos, mantids are a really interesting insect to keep, as well as making good photo subjects. Tarantulas are what got me into keeping inverts as "pets", and I do find them a much more interesting and rewarding animal to observe and maintain, there's no contest between the two really, but mantids are pretty cool too

Cheers

That L1 Devil's Flower pictures is wicked looking, more like the creatures from the movie Alien than any other mantis photo I've ever seen.

Bugs In Cyberspace said:

That L1 Devil's Flower pictures is wicked looking, more like the creatures from the movie Alien than any other mantis photo I've ever seen.

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Thank you, amazing creatures aren't they, they have to be the coolest species of mantis! Pity there wasn't a sub species that stayed black all the way through it's lifespan The one in the shot is apx 0.4" from the crown to the tip of the abdomen, a lot of dodgy shots were culled before I got one I was happy with.

If you'd like a look at 1st instar Idolos in a little more detail, check out this link to an L1 Idolo video from YouTube user Precarious333, if you haven't already that is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ0aJsjoJfA
He has extensive knowledge on this species, as well as some of the finest quality videos you'll find on YouTube.

Wow, AMAZING pictures!

Love that aquamarine P. aeruginosa. Precarious shoots some jaw dropping photos, as well.

Once again outstanding photos!
I love how elegant looking they all are.

good stuff matt

Great pics Matt!

Grin said:

Once again outstanding photos!
I love how elegant looking they all are.

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Thank you glad you liked them, they definitely make for good photo subjects!

mylo said:

good stuff matt

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Ah you're on here now Mylo, fair play! Good to see that Marbled female come full circle, end up back with you and lay a few ooths in the end as well :clap: The first Idolomantis I got from you died just shortly before moulting to adult, no idea why.

ajensen7 said:

Great pics Matt!

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Thanks a lot ajensen glad you liked them.

oh my god - i want all or some of these !!

Sweet ! ! I Need Some !
Spiny flower are bad !

Your mantids are so gorgeous, and you do an excellent job photographing them! That green marbled is just stunning! Mantids were my first love but I haven't kept any for almost a year. You might have reignited that passion! Uh oh!