Mantid I.D.?

[Trygon]

Hey,
I picked this up in a mixed Tanzanian Shipment. It was initially ~1inch but has grown like mad. It is now a very long mantid (maybe 5 inches) and not done growing yet. Its behavior is also interesting: It spends a great deal of time pretending to be a twig... arms ridged and out stretched... it has weird bumps that emerge from between its abdminal plates when its playing twig, these make its abdomen look like a stick with buds. I am dying to call it a she everytime i write a sentance.. but i dont really know.. any thoughts on its sex?

Thanks for any help
-Trygon

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

Looks like Heterochaeta strachani (Heterochaeta is certainly the genus and I think strachani is the only species in that genus). Always take a close-up of the bottom of the rear of the abdomen if you're looking for a sex ID online.

 

[Trygon]

thanks and...

I'm sold on Heterochaeta for the genus. Thanks! However my mantid is not a perfect match with those i just looked up on the web. Her eyes definitely come to a point and her color scheme is much brighter... but its very close. Maybe its just that she isnt quite an adult yet.

Is there any more info you could give me on the Genus?

Thanks again
-Trygon

 

[Trygon]

"inflatable" camofluage

I have been looking at the weird "inflatable" structure that emerges from between the mantids abdomen segments when she is being stick-like. Has anyone here ever heard of such a thing? Is it something seen across many mantid species? Just looking for as much info as i can get.... google hasn't produced anything for me yet... at least in english.

Thanks for any ideas
-Trygon

 

[reptillian]

cool mantis

 

[Mantid Mafia]

Could it be Popa spurca crassa?..looks like it or a sub species