Thursday, May 22, 2008
Today I got some new praying mantis. This is a Creobroter gemmatus - Indian Flower Mantis, L2/L3 I think, meaning it has molted once or twice. Much more shy than the other mantis I have. Very pretty. 
As for my Tenodera aridifolia sinensis = Chinese praying mantis
, Most have molted for the third time and the terrarium has lots of empthy "skins" handging or lying around. The first photo is of one of them in the final part of getting out of the old skin. The third photo is of one beside the empty skin. It is so amazing that they come out a third bigger than the old size. Imagine how tight that old skin must have felt in the end.
, Most have molted for the third time and the terrarium has lots of empthy "skins" handging or lying around. The first photo is of one of them in the final part of getting out of the old skin. The third photo is of one beside the empty skin. It is so amazing that they come out a third bigger than the old size. Imagine how tight that old skin must have felt in the end. 
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2 comments:
Thank you very much for the photos. of your mantises. I found the photo. of the mantis in its new skin very close to its old skin, that it had just shed, especially interesting, not to mention actually seeing a photo. of it in the act of shedding that skin!
My neighbor, who has also been following your mantises, discovered that we can get mansis egg sacs at a store very close to us. We are thinking about each of us buying one, letting the babies grow large enough not to be threatened by the spiders around here, and then letting them loose in our yards. Since we live in Southern California, they should be able to survive and even reproduce outside, I think.
blh
P.S. I am amazed that the baby mantises do not suffocate in their old skins!
blh
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