Large mantis! ID?

[Galapoheros]

I see these around here in c tx, but not as often as some other species. I picked it off the road at sunset while doing some sunday driving. I like mantids but I've never kept them as a hobby. I don't know specie names. Would someone let me know what species it is? I'm going to go ahead and house it since the season is almost over.

 

[CopperInMyVeins]

Wow, I was expecting the standard introduced Chinese Mantis we get around here, but that's totally different, huge head too, never seen that before.

 

[Randolph XX()]

no Chinese mantid is more slender
this one is in different genus, maybe Hierodula

 

[Galapoheros]

This is about the 3rd or 4th one I've ever seen. The first one I found was in 1984. It was green and a little bigger than this one. These are big and stocky with a pear shaped abdomen. This one hasn't done this but, if I remember right, in their threat display, they fold out small, colorful wings. Can't remember what color but I think there is some black in the wings. It already ate a cricket. Does the Chinese mantid have green and brown generations? I see those thinner ones around here allot during certain times of the year.

 

[CopperInMyVeins]

Yeah, the Chinese Mantis does have both green and brown phases, like randolph said, it's much slimmer though, and the eyes match the body color, also, the brown phase ones still have green stripes down the sides of the wings, here's a female.

 

[Galapoheros]

Hmm, that's not what I expected to see. Thanks for the pic. I was curious. The ones I usually see around here are thin, more pencil shaped. And the wings curve around the body more. I was happy to find this mantid since I haven't seen many. It's eating another cricket and was a little funny looking so I took another pic a while ago. This species is flightless. I don't even think it can flap the little wings. Probably used mostly for show and some communication of some kind(?).

 

[LongDucDong]

Stagmomantis carolina perhaps?

 

[Galapoheros]

Stagmomantis carolina perhaps?

Mmmmm, I don't know:? . Ha, one pic I saw of that species showed a stinkbug! And it looked like 2 or 3 diff sp of mantid under that name. None really looked right to me but, ....maybe. I'm guessing it's a female. I don't know how to tell. What do you think? I know someone knows. I'm getting more interested in it. If it's a female, I wonder if it's laid eggs already. Doesn't look gravid. And it's kind of late so, I may be out of luck on that one.

Hungry.....cricket #3.

 

[padkison]

Looks like a Stagmomantis species, but try posting pics on Mantidforum.com

They will lay more than one ooth.

 

[Jesse607]

Definitely a Stagmomantis spp., I would venture to guess S. limbata. Chances are it is fertile and may give you 2-5 viable oothecae. Oh yeah, It is a female. Beautiful mantid by the way.

 

[Galapoheros]

Definitely a Stagmomantis spp., I would venture to guess S. limbata. Chances are it is fertile and may give you 2-5 viable oothecae. Oh yeah, It is a female. Beautiful mantid by the way.

Wow! Pretty sure you nailed it. I just got through looking at pics and there's not much doubt in my mind that you're right about that. Thanks everybody. I've been wondering what this sp is for a long time. I found one in San Marcos tx many years ago and I found this one in the Lampasas area about 100 miles away from San Marcos. Can't remember where I found the other 1 or 2. I kind of ignored it at the time. Now I'm hoping to get an "ootheca". I learned a new word .