Those are cool, but I fail at mantids. =/ _________________ "Paranoia driving me insane; Paranoia ripping through my brain; Paranoia making me believe; Paranoia, that somebody's after me!"
Hello All,
Please read the sections in red, these are the most important.
GONGYLUS GONGYLODES
(Wandering Violin Mantis, Indian Rose Mantis)
Appearance: this has got to be one of the most bizarre mantids out there (they are my personal favorites). Its long prothorax gives it the image of a violin (hence its name). The males of this species can fly very well and possess long feathery antennas.
Sexing: Females grow up to 10 cm long while males peak at 8-9 cm. After the 3rd molt, 8 segments can be counted on the male's abdomen while 6 on the females. The males will also have a thick feathery antenna as adults with full usable wings. The females' wings will only cover ¾ of their abdomen.
Accommodation: this species of mantis require lots of extra heat. It's best to keep it around 30-40 C (86-104 F). A heat mat or a heat lamp may be used to maintain the desired temperature. Keep the temperature slightly cooler at night to lengthen the lifespan of the mantis. It is best to use a light bulb because the lamp gives off a temperature gradient that allows the mantids to choose their desired temperature. Keep humidity at a constant 40-50%.
Caging: their cage should be well ventilated with lots of twigs for the mantids to perch on. These mantises are quite large as adults and will require a large container. They are non-cannibalistic so a group of up to 10 individuals may be kept together given that there is sufficient space. A terrarium with a size of 60/60/90cm (LxWxH) is suitable for up to 10 mantids. Single mantids can be held in a 20/20/25cm tank. They will need a screen lid to perch on to catch their prey.
Feeding: this species will only eat flying insects. Start out with fruit flies for nymphs and move to house flies and moths for larger nymphs and adults. Stay away from crickets. Crickets are high in proteins and this species will not be able to make oothecas with a cricket diet. Even though they are voracious and will attack anything, do not offer them poisonous insects or wasps or bees as these could seriously harm the mantis. These do not need any further coaxing to eat. If they are hungry and they see something buzzing around them, they will pluck it from the air and proceed to eat it. Feed them as much as it will eat in one day and do not feed it for another 2 days. Watch their abdomen, if it is hugely inflated, then stop feeding them.
As for watering, Gongylus mantids will rarely need water. They are from the hot arid desert of India where it rarely rains.
Molting: a mantis will stop eating a few days prior to its molt. Mantises molt about every 2 weeks as babies and the time in between each molt increases as they get older…so their last molt into adulthood can sometimes take as long as 3-4 weeks. It takes about 7 molts for females and about 6 for males. That's why males tend to mature earlier than females and they also die faster. To pair up a pair of male and female, speed up the growth rate of the females while slowing down the males' with cooler temperature and less feedings…once the female has molted, speed up the male's growth to molt him out. During molting, it is vital that you do not disturb them and also make sure that the humidity is at a safe level…the suggested level is fine. The mantis will hang upside down from a branch or the screen lid and will sometimes shake or spasm violently. Then after a while, it worms out of its old skin and will hang out to dry. Once it's dried, it will resume eating and being its normal self.
Reproduction: this species can be easy to breed. After 2 weeks since their last molt, introduce the female into the male's enclosure near him. Or if they have been raised in a colony, they will mate when they are ready. It could take hours before the male does anything though. He will jump on her back as soon as he feels safe. After a while of holding on (this could take from hours to days), the male will bend his abdomen down to connect with hers and mating will commence.
Ootheca: after two weeks or so, the females will be laying her oothecae (plural for ootheca). This species can lay around 6-15 oothecae. Remove the females from the oothecas or the oothecae from the females afterward. After 4-6 weeks of incubation at 30-35 C (86-95 F) and 40-50% humidity with an everyday light misting of warm water, 15-30 nymphs will hatch out. These can be fed on fruit flies a day or two after hatching. Then continue to care for them as this care sheet suggests _________________
Those are very cool looking... _________________ “Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself.”
...now we just need a good source for house flies... I'm assuming we shouldn't feed wild-caught prey (because of possible parasites and diseases)?
Can they tolerate *higher* humidity? My reptile room is about 50-65%. If not, I'd have to set them up with a heating pad and heat lamp in another part of the house. _________________ "Tarantulas are friends, not food" (but I bet they taste pretty good with butter and lemon!)
@Celeste, yes you cn keep them a little bit more humid.
Just make sure the cage is well ventilated, preferably a chameleon cage, or a butterfly cage (all Screen).
If you have a light for them the humidity will be less, except at night time when is off, unless you keep a night light on.
As far as fly we can conbine orders for house fly puppae as well as blubottle fly puppae.
I would not advise to feed WC house flies, unless you breed them and feed their 1st generation. If you want to breed them, they will have to be fed fruits only, NO MEAT!!!
@Oscar, pm send
@Warren, indeed these are really cool and also the second best looking mantid in the hobby. The first one is Idolomantis diabolicum in my opinion. _________________
Francisco, any chance of having a female reserved for me? I can pick it up at the next event or something. _________________ - Kevin aka What
Oderint dum metuant My photos
these are kind of small to be sexed. I will take them the the show in las Vegas but I have a group of them reserved as my breeders already. _________________
I *think* this one is a 3rd instar, but you would know better than I would. If you would like me to stop by sometime in the next couple weeks to take photos of them for you, just let me know. _________________ - Kevin aka What
Oderint dum metuant My photos
Great photo, Kevin! I'll have to see if I can count segments on mine (several of them have molted already). _________________ "Tarantulas are friends, not food" (but I bet they taste pretty good with butter and lemon!)
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Join! (free) 
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
