# L3 - l4 in mantis's  what does this mean ??????



## spiderworlduk (Feb 5, 2012)

Hello sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but what does L1-L2-L3-L4 and so on mean in amantis, is it the age or how many times they have shed ? thankyou ::


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## Aurelia (Feb 5, 2012)

Yes, L1 is first instar, newly hatched nymphs. after the first molt is second instar, etc etc. Also "L" is used instead of "I" because it comes from the German word "Larven."

Reactions: Like 1


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## spiderworlduk (Feb 5, 2012)

arrrr thankyou for that thats what i thought just wanted to make sure thankyou


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## Deroplatys (Feb 5, 2012)

Dont see why people dont just use I4 instead of L4


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## spiderworlduk (Feb 6, 2012)

i know it would make it less complicated, or M4 (molt4) makes sence


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## Bugs In Cyberspace (Feb 7, 2012)

Language is a tool we use to communicate. The degree to which it is fun vs. frustrating may be a function of whether your glass appears half empty or half full. We see people debating the use of common names against scientific (Latin) names on a regular basis. Annoying topics and accusations about elitism tend to rear up as we try to teach and learn, learn and teach. The whole thing is rather silly. If you go from one town to another or one country to another, dialects and languages change and certainly common names do as well. Personally, I enjoy the fact that we have this diversity of nomenclature. It makes things interesting like trying foods from other countries or listening to foreign music. Still, we have the scientific names and this offers us that common ground, that universal language. It's like smiling or laughing, or crying. It means the same thing across all cultures, countries, languages.

L4, I4, fourth instar, 4th instar, 4th-instar? It all means the same thing. Yet, convention, precedence, history and a respect for all these things dictate that most people learn to say "L4". It really doesn't matter which of the five versions above a hobbyist chooses to use. A layperson will still need an explanation, regardless.

On a note relevant probably only in my own mind, scientists often debate each other as they define what species a fossil belongs to. This is because species are fluid. We cannot say when one evolved into another. You take the bones of an individual out of the ground and it will have genetic characteristics of what it was and what it is becoming. It's not like two parents suddenly give birth to a new species. Fun stuff, these categories and names we must use just for the sake of "communicating".

Reactions: Like 2


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## spiderworlduk (Feb 7, 2012)

very good i suppose your correct very good speach


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