Tenodera sinensis

JumpingSpiderLady

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Messages
342
Do these mantids have a history of bad molts? My initial research doesn't indicate that they'd need any special care, but I know you guys will have more information. I've got a big female. She's an adult. She won't molt again, will she? I've got her in a ten gallon tank, but I could probably rig something bigger. I'm hoping she'll lay viable eggs! I'd love for my daughter to get to see thier entire life cycle. (We're studying insects in school.)
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
Once they are adults, they do not molt again. I have had some problems with bad molts with juveniles, but not too bad - not as bad as some of the exotics like ghost mantises or flower mantises! It's mostly a matter of getting the right balance between humidity and ventilation.

If you are hoping for viable eggs, I hope you've got a mate for her? (Either that or - if she was wild caught as an adult - she may already be gravid.) This species is not known to be parthenogenic. Unmated females will lay eggs, but the oothecae will not hatch.

Mating them can be a little tricky because the females are known to eat the males instead of mating with them, but I've had some success with them just by feeding both mantises heavily before introducing them to the same enclosure and then monitoring them for signs of aggression - and removing the male as soon as mating had been completed. Just for the record, they are not "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" bugs - I've seen them stay together for nearly 24 hours.

A ten-gallon tank should be fine for her, as long as she has good ventilation and plenty of plants or other things to climb on and hide in. I keep my mantises in deli cups with ventilated lids when they're small and the adults in medium-large mesh pop-up butterfly cages.
 

JumpingSpiderLady

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Messages
342
Once they are adults, they do not molt again. I have had some problems with bad molts with juveniles, but not too bad - not as bad as some of the exotics like ghost mantises or flower mantises! It's mostly a matter of getting the right balance between humidity and ventilation.

If you are hoping for viable eggs, I hope you've got a mate for her? (Either that or - if she was wild caught as an adult - she may already be gravid.) This species is not known to be parthenogenic. Unmated females will lay eggs, but the oothecae will not hatch.

Mating them can be a little tricky because the females are known to eat the males instead of mating with them, but I've had some success with them just by feeding both mantises heavily before introducing them to the same enclosure and then monitoring them for signs of aggression - and removing the male as soon as mating had been completed. Just for the record, they are not "wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" bugs - I've seen them stay together for nearly 24 hours.

A ten-gallon tank should be fine for her, as long as she has good ventilation and plenty of plants or other things to climb on and hide in. I keep my mantises in deli cups with ventilated lids when they're small and the adults in medium-large mesh pop-up butterfly cages.
Thank you! She was just caught today, so yes, I'm hoping she's already gravid, but my daughter will love her whether she is or not.
I'm a 30something year old mom. I know about the birds and the bees. Although, now that I've said that, I remember stick insects can reproduce without a male.... I'll just shut up now....
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
I'm a 30something year old mom. I know about the birds and the bees. Although, now that I've said that, I remember stick insects can reproduce without a male.... I'll just shut up now....
I wasn't suggesting that you didn't know about the birds and bees - but there are insects that are parthenogenic, including not only phasmids (stick and leaf insects) as you said but also some mantises (Brunneria borealis). ;)
 

JumpingSpiderLady

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Messages
342
I wasn't suggesting that you didn't know about the birds and bees - but there are insects that are parthenogenic, including not only phasmids (stick and leaf insects) as you said but also some mantises (Brunneria borealis). ;)
I know. I was just joking. I knew it was more than stick insects, but I did not know there was a kind of mantis that could reproduce that way. Neat!
 

Toxoderidae

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
1,008
If you do get a ooth, expect 20 - 5 to actually survive past L3. T. sinensis is riddled with molting problems as they age, or just randomly dying. Worst beginner species IMO. Not that you are new to mantids, just that so many beginners and mantidforum would come on with their new 10 cent T. sinensis thats at L1 or something, only for it to die for no reason.
 

JumpingSpiderLady

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Messages
342
If you do get a ooth, expect 20 - 5 to actually survive past L3. T. sinensis is riddled with molting problems as they age, or just randomly dying. Worst beginner species IMO. Not that you are new to mantids, just that so many beginners and mantidforum would come on with their new 10 cent T. sinensis thats at L1 or something, only for it to die for no reason.
Thanks for the warning. Knowing me, I would have felt I was doing something wrong.
 
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