- The Care of Praying Mantids
Introduction
The Mantids are a group of 1800 carnivorous insects. Most mantids
are from tropical countries although a few do occur in cooler
climates. Their closes relatives are the stick insects, grasshoppers,
and cockroaches. Like their relatives, mantids undergo simple
or incomplete metamorphosis; they do not have a maggot or caterpillar
but go through several stages all of which look like miniature,
wingless adults.
Housing
Because of their tropical origins they need to be kept warm,
as a general rule 20C to 25C will be ideal. Initially a small
container such as a yoghurt pot, 3 by 1 inch entomological tube
or any other small container will make suitable cage. As the
mantis grows it will shed its skin several times, becoming larger
a each stage. It can progress into a jam jar or milk bottle and
finally into a sweet. jar. The top of the yoghurt pot can be
covered with several layers of clingfilm, with a strip of sellotape
over the top. A small hole can be made through the sellotape
and clingfilm to allow food to be put in. The hole can be plugged
with a piece of sponge which can be wetted to maintain humidity.
A similar plug can be used in the neck of a bottle or a hole
drilled in the lid of a jar. Whatever type of cage is used a
stick or branch should be provided for the insect to hang from
when it sheds its skin and the distance from the top of the branch
to the floor must be at least three times the length of the insect.
Feeding
The eggs are produced in an eggcase called an ootheca this may
produce 30 to 300 young mantids depending on the species. Hatching
usually takes between 3 and 6 months. The young may hatch all
at once or in batches over a period of several weeks. The ootheca
should be suspended at least 5cm above the floor of the cage.
When the young hatch they hang by a thread from the ootheca until
their skin hardens off. The young should be fed on fruit flies
(Drosophila sp.), aphids or other small insects. They do well
if supplied with as much food as they can eat although they can
last quite a while without food. Many species are very aggressive
towards each other and if kept in groups they will eat each other
especially as one or two become slightly larger than their brothers
and sisters. Some species will happily tackle prey as large as
themselves. As the grow they can be given larger prey, almost
any insects will be eaten.
Most Mantids do not usually need to drink, though this will reflect
the humidity of the atmosphere you keep them at. However if you
mist the inside of the cage you may observe them drinking, and
they need a certain amount of humidity to help them moult successfully
so supplying a small container of water filled as well as with
pebbles or cotton wool so they can get out of if they fall into
is a good idea.
Breeding
Sexing mantids is difficult when they are small, but fairly easy
when adult. Eight segments can be counted on the underside of
the males abdomen and six on that of the female (in some species
the end segments are difficult, to see and only seven or five
can be seen). After two or three weeks as adults the mantids
can be mated. Both should be fed as much as they will eat for
several days before the male is introduced to the female's cage.
It is advisable to use a large cage for the mating and feeding
them well before hand is essential otherwise the female will
eat the male. Mating may occur immediately or it may take the
male a day or so to make his approach. Mating may last a day
or more so it is a good idea to keep the cage supplied with food
so the female can eat while mating. The male should be removed
as soon as mating has finished. The female will eat a lot and
become very fat before laying an ootheca on a branch or side
of the container if she is already fat she may well lay her first
ootheca the day after mating.
She will lay several others, usually about six, but only needs
to be mated once. Hatching usually takes between 3 and 6 months.
The young may hatch all at once or in batches over a period of
several weeks depending on species. Young Mantids like young
Cockroaches, Grasshoppers and Crickets hatch as a pronymph surrounded
by a protective membrane within which they move like grubs to
the surface of the ootheca. In some species there is a single
exit tube along the bottom of the ootheca from which the young
Mantids emerge individually, in others the young emerge through
the oothecal wall nearest there particular egg cell, in either
case they will hang suspended from the ootheca on silken cords
secreted by a pair of papillae on the lower side 10th abdominal
segment. In those species where they all emerge from a single
exit tube these cords will get pretty tangle but the young mantids
seem to extract themselcves OK. They rapidly escape their protective
case and climb up the silken cord to the ootheca.
Recommended Species
Sphodromantis viridis from West Africa is an easy species to
keep, very suitable for beginners. They are about 8cm long and
either bright green to light brown in colour. They will happily
take food of their own size and they will also take pieces of
meat if it is offered on a pair of tweezers. Their ootheca can
contain up to 300 eggs.
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By gordon@earthlife.net
© Earth-Life Web Productions
Bringing Insects to the World http://www.earthlife.net/insects/
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