Sexing Hissers... Am I just being dense?

[Kiddle]

I'm extremely new to keeping Hissers (as in I got them 3 days ago). I thought I'd got a male and a female (as well as around 10 nymphs), but when Maddy (the 'female') decided to have a wander around the tank it looks as though 'she' is actually a 'he'.

So my question is, is Maddy a girl or a boy?

Any help (and advice for a newbie) would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sdsnybny]

I believe the adult males have prominent horns and females don't.
you can Google "sexing Madagascar hissing roaches" for more info

 

[All About Arthropods]

It looks like a female to me. The females will have 2 small lumps on their pronotum, while the males will have larger horn- like structures used for fighting. A definite way to tell is by looking at the last segment on the underside of its abdomen, if it is a female it will be the largest segment, but if its a male it will be the smallest segment.

 

[Kiddle]

Thank you both

I know the males have prominent horns, one of them definitely does, but the other (Maddy - pictured) seems to have horns too (albeit much smaller). I picked her from what we assumed was the female container, but the slight horns and the fact she was hissing (seemingly for no reason, though possibly at the other one) earlier had me confused! Will check out the underside tomorrow to double check!

 

[sdsnybny]

The females have bumps when small then the males develops bigger horns.

 

[Hisserdude]

IDK, the horns on that roach almost look too prominent to be a female, could be a minor male. If you can get a clear ventral shot of it's last few abdominal segments we can give you a definitive answer.

 

[socalqueen]

Both male and female Hissers have dorsal tubercles (horns) on the prothorax but the males horns are usually much larger than the females. Females are usually bigger than males too (not all the time but most) and often appear to have a rounder midsection where the male seems to have a flatter look. The ventral sternite (last segment on the underside) is usually larger on female, much smaller on a male. I've also been told that those with a good eye can tell the difference by observing their antennae, female antennae are thinner and wispy and a males antennae are thicker and often have a furry look to them.

 

[Kiddle]

I finally managed to get a picture of the abdomen, hopefully it's good enough! They really don't like being upside down!

I'm thinking male?

 

[socalqueen]

I finally managed to get a picture of the abdomen, hopefully it's good enough! They really don't like being upside down!

I'm thinking male?

Based on this picture I would for sure say a Male.

 

[Kiddle]

Thank you!

 

[socalqueen]

Thank you!

You're welcome!!! Good luck !

 

[Hisserdude]

I finally managed to get a picture of the abdomen, hopefully it's good enough! They really don't like being upside down!

I'm thinking male?

Yeah, that's 100% a male.

 

[UltimateDracoMeteor]

I finally managed to get a picture of the abdomen, hopefully it's good enough! They really don't like being upside down!

I'm thinking male?

Another input here as well, definitely male!