# sexing a mantis



## terrariumkeeper (May 13, 2012)

i was wondering how to sex a mantis i have four right now and my hooded mantis just molted last night and i wanted to find out the sex of it.


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## Aurelia (May 13, 2012)

I'm not sure if this goes for all species but for a few that I know, females have 6 abdominal segments while males have 8.


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## Deroplatys (May 13, 2012)

Aurelia is right. 
Depending on the species there are a number of other differences to.
Where did you get your hooded mantids from by the way?


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## terrariumkeeper (May 13, 2012)

i got it at a local pet expo for 15 bucks it was just labeled hooded mantis nothing else


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## Deroplatys (May 14, 2012)

Any chance of a photo?
That is very cheap for something so rare if it is a hooded.


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## terrariumkeeper (May 14, 2012)

heres the pics they look bad cause their taken from phone.





for some reason its acting strange... it hasnt moved from the spot i taken the pic since it molted


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## Deroplatys (May 14, 2012)

Ah those arent hooded, they are shield mantids


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## terrariumkeeper (May 14, 2012)

ahh ok  i really just started collecting mantids and the dude i bought it from called it a hooded mantis..  but i have another question do you think 10$ for a south american dead leaf mantis is a good buy?

also do you have any info on another one of my mantids they labeled it mio mantis i got two for 5$.


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## persistent (May 14, 2012)

indeed you can sex them by counting the abdominal segments, 8 for males, 6 for females. be sure to count them from the underside of the abdomen though! Also when adult females will have shorten wings than males. usually a little bit shorter than the adbomen while males have wings which are often a little longer than the abdomen. Males are also generally smaller and less bulky than females. More experienced keepers can also sex by looking at the shape of the genitalia. If you can provide a clear picture of the underside of the abdomen or genitals I could sex it for you if you want.

The price is hard to tell because it depends on the size of the mantis and also location. I'm from europe and have no idea what prices are in america. But it doesn't sound that steep (unless it's a young nymph). 

Miomantis is a good beginner mantis. They can be kept at room temps but can be kept up till 85°F (the warmer the faster they will grow, but the shorter they will live). mist them every few days to keep the humidity roughly around 60%.

Also it looks like you shield mantis (latin name: rhombodera basalis) has shed to the sudadult stage. So next time it molts (generally takes between 3-6 weeks) it will be an adult with wings. You can now see the little wingbuds which will become fully developed wings once it molts to adult. A few days before its last molt these will swell up so you'll be able to tell she's going to molt soon.


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## terrariumkeeper (May 14, 2012)

wow thanks for the info if i'm correct it seems to be a female ill put up more pics of the sheild mantids underside later i want to wait till hes at a good postion to take it..

and for the south american dead leaf its about 1.5 inches to 2 inches heres a pic








and as for the mio mantis both molted on turned green and the other is still a yellow color but the green one seems to have wings... and another question how big do the miomantis get.


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## persistent (May 14, 2012)

that deadleaf mantis (seems like it's an acanthops sp) looks to be adult (and female judging from it's wings and abdomen size). That would be a reasonable price for an adult but it actually depends on how old she is. she'll only live around 5-8 months after she becomes adult (depending on temps, how much you feed, luck). So if it's already quite old it's not really worth buying it. Also males have even shorter lifespans. I usually don't buy adult mantids because they have relatively short lifespans. Only when I require one for breeding.

Miomantis sp don't get very large. The one with wings is adult so it's at full size now. Generally they get about 3,5-4cm when adult.


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## terrariumkeeper (May 15, 2012)

thanks for the info and for the shield mantis i think it's a female according to your information thanks for the answers!


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## RS4guy (May 17, 2012)

Yea males always have 8 segments, females 6-7. That is a giant shield mantis. I am very jealous of your south American dead leaf! Where did you get it?


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## terrariumkeeper (May 17, 2012)

i got him at a pet expo i was really surprised that they were selling them sooo cheep the sheild was 15$ and the south american dead leaf was 10$ and also i got 2 miomantises for only 5$,  i really regret not getting more.  they had a pretty large selection of mantids.


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