Gurders Mantis

Species: Deroplatys desiccata

Distribution: Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Java.

Natrual Habitat: Tropical Rainforest.

Captive Housing: General rule of 3 x the length of the mantid for height and 2 x the length for width, small nymphs (1st - 3rd instar) do well in 1/2 pint plastic cups with mesh/netting top, moving onto pint cups, sweet jars or other similar sized containers as it grows, insure container has adequate ventilation.
Furnish the base of the container with a moisture retaining substrate such as Vermiculite, peat/vermiculite mix or best yet ordinary kitchen roll.
A single twig placed diagonally is the furnishing your mantid will need 2 get from bottom of the container to the top, if you have more room fake/live plants can be added but the general is not to overcrowd the container with furnishings as they can impede moulting and cause more harm than good in the way of the mantid being caught by the funishings while moulting, in most cases the mantid will spend most of it's time at the highest point of the enclousure (the roof) from which it will moult hence the importance of a mesh/net top to aid the mantid in getting a good foothold.
It's best not to keep the mantid in too large a container as these are ambush predators and will generally wait for the food to come to them, large enclousures will decrease the frequency of predator coming into contact with the prey.

Temperature: 24-30C daytime. A night time drop of a few degrees is considered beneficial for the mantid. The warmer the mantid is kept the higher its metabolism, this coupled with increased feeding will cause the mantid to grow quicker than at a cooler temperature with less feeding.

Humidity: Around 70% humidity, ensure substrate is slightly damp at all times, mist when needed generally every/everyother day depending on temperature higher temperature = more frequent mistings.
Although these are rainforest species do not other do it with the humidity, as over humid environments can give rise to increased fungal and bactrial conditions, always ensure they have adequate ventilition coupled with the humidity

Feeding: Fruitflies (Drosphilia hydei) from 1st instar, increase the size of prey as the mantid grows, as they grow D. desiccata start to have a prefernce for crawling type foods although they will take Bluebottle flies locust, Roaches seem to be the preferred choice.

Moulting: Mantids grow by Shedding (ecdysis) their skin, a newly hatched nymph is known as 1st instar and after each subsquent moult moves up an instar.
Signs of a imminent moult are a period of in activity, fasting, adopting a moulting postion and in sub-adult nymphs the swelling of the wingbuds, normally one or all of these signs will be noticed but they can at times take us by surprise.
Ensure any uneaten food is removed especially Locust, Crickets and Roaches as the mantid can be vunerable when nearing, during and after a moult, either by knocking the mantid midmoult or the mantid becoming the prey itself.


"Tolerance" Factor: Are quite tolerant towards each other, even at higher instars as long as food is plentyful, however splitting the sexes is preferable. It is not recommended to keep this species communally if you only have a small number of nymphs.

Adult Size:

Females 80-95mm
Males 75-85mm

Breeding:

Sexual Diamorphism: can be easily sexed from 3rd instar onwards!
Females: 6 abdominal segments. "Arrow" shaped prontal sheild.
Males: 7 abdominal segments. Sheild shaped very much like a 20pence piece (Hexagonal?)
Adult Females: Larger and bulkier than males, wing tips end at tip of abdomen.
Adult Males: Slender, wing tips extend about 10mm past tip of abdomen.

Mating: Sexual maturity generally 5-6 weeks after reaching adulthood, they can be mated earlier but the chances of unsuccessful matings and the female attacking the male are significantly increased.

Laying: Females will in most cases start lay their 1st ootheca after 6 weeks of being adult, with intervals of between 2-4 weeks for each subsequent ooth dependant on frequency of feeding and temperature.
6-7 oothca can be laid during the females adult lifetime.

Incubation: Approx 6 weeks (temperature dependent) mist incubation container lightly every/every other day, do not allow to dry out.

Hatching: Approx 40-70 nymphs (Have heard reports of 100, the most I've had hatch from a single ooth has been 67 nymphs).
1st instars (hatchlings) approx 12mm insize, they will not need feeding till 3 days after hatching but will benefit from a daily light mist with warm water to allow them to drink, they will take D. hydei fruitflies as 1st instars. Very low hatchling/1st instar mortality rates.

Additional Note: Probabley the easiest of the Deroplaty species in regards to raising and breeding, although some experience with mantids is recommended before taking on this species.

Species: Blepharopsis mendica mendica


Distribution: Northern Africa, Southern Mediterranian Europe, Canary Islands, Middle East. .

Natrual Habitat: Semi Desert, dry forest regions.

Captive Housing: General rule of 3 x the length of the mantid for height and 2 x the length for width, these mantids do best in all net cages as they are unable to grip smooth surfaces (a characteristic of all Empusidae). Polystyrene box type cages also works quite well as the mantids are able to grip the polystyrene surfaces however you most ensure that the enclousure is very well ventilated, these mantids originate from hot and arid areas and don't do well in humid conditions, very well ventilated enclousures will help in keeping the humidity down
Furnish the base of the container with a substrate such as Vermiculite, peat/vermiculite mix, sand or best yet ordinary kitchen roll.
A single twig placed diagonally is the furnishing your mantid will need 2 get from bottom of the container to the top, if you have more room fake/live plants can be added but the general is not to overcrowd the container with furnishings as they can impede moulting and cause more harm than good in the way of the mantid being caught by the funishings while moulting, in most cases the mantid will spend most of it's time at the highest point of the enclousure (the roof) from which it will moult hence the importance of a mesh/net top to aid the mantid in getting a good foothold.
It's best not to keep the mantid in too large a container as these are ambush predators and will generally wait for the food to come to them, large enclousures will decrease the frequency of predator coming into contact with the prey.

Temperature: 30C-40C daytime, these temperatures are easily obtained by using a normal 40-60W incandestant light bulb (Desk lamps are Ideal) above the enclousure, they also benefit from basking under the lamp. Do not worry about the drop in temperature during the night when lights are out and is in fact beneficial. The warmer the mantid is kept the higher its metabolism, this coupled with increased feeding will cause the mantid to grow quicker than at a cooler temperature with less feeding.

Humidity: Around 40% humidity, these mantids are best kept in hot dry conditions so they need for misting is not strictly necessary, however a very light mist in the early morning will replicate the formation of dew.


Feeding: Fruitflies (Drosphilia hydei) from 1st instar, increase the size of prey as the mantid grows, Feed flying type foods only! in the form of house flies, green bottles, bluebottles, moths etc.. on the rare occasion they will take locusts and roaches but these should not be used as a regular food source as the mantid matures crawling foods are more than likely to be ignored. Important. Do not offer B. mendica crickets like most other Empusa species these can have fatal results for the mantid.

Moulting: Mantids grow by Shedding (ecdysis) their skin, a newly hatched nymph is known as 1st instar and after each subsquent moult moves up an instar.
Signs of a imminent moult are a period of in activity, fasting, adopting a moulting postion and in sub-adult nymphs the swelling of the wingbuds, normally one or all of these signs will be noticed but they can at times take us by surprise.
Ensure any uneaten food is removed especially Locust and Roaches as the mantid can be vunerable when nearing, during and after a moult, either by knocking the mantid midmoult or the mantid becoming the prey itself.


"Tolerance" Factor: Are quite tolerant towards each other, even at higher instars as long as food is plentyful, however splitting the sexes is preferable. It is not recommended to keep this species communally if you only have a small number of nymphs.

Adult Size:

Females 55-70mm
Males 50-70mm

Breeding:

Sexual Diamorphism: can be sexed from 3rd instar onwards, due to the presence of a very small "hook" on the last abdominal segment of the male, this "hook" is absent in females
Females: 5 abdominal segments.
Males: 6 abdominal segments. From 5th instar the base of the antenne start to thicken, and become thicker and "feathery" after each subsequent moult.
Adult Females: Larger and bulkier than males, wing tips end at tip of abdomen. Absence of "feathery" antenne
Adult Males: Slender, wing tips extend about 10mm past tip of abdomen.
Thick feathery antenne.

Mating: Sexual maturity occurs as early as 2 weeks after reaching adulthood, they can be mated earlier but the chances of unsuccessful matings and the female attacking the male are significantly increased.

Laying: Females will in most cases start lay their 1st ootheca after 3 weeks of being adult, with intervals of around 7 days for each subsequent ooth dependant on frequency of feeding and temperature.
10+ oothca can be laid during the females adult lifetime.

Incubation: Approx 4-6 weeks (temperature dependent) mist incubation chamber very lightly every other day, incubation temperature around 30-40C. (I have had successful hatches without misting the ooths at all during incubation)

Hatching: Approx 20-50 nymphs
1st instars (hatchlings) approx 5mm insize, they will not need feeding till 3 days after hatching but will benefit from a daily light mist with warm water to allow them to drink, they will take D. hydei fruitflies as 1st instars. Very low hatchling/1st instar mortality rates.

Additional Note: This stunning mantis is not suit to people starting out in the hobby due to conditions needed to successfully raise them, however with proper care and feeding they are a very rewarding species. 

Species: Gongylus gongylodes

Distribution: India, Sri-Lanka, Thailand.

Natrual Habitat: Dry Grassland.

Captive Housing: General rule of 3 x the length of the mantid for height and 2 x the length for width, these mantids do best in all net cages as they are unable to grip smooth surfaces (a characteristic of all Empusidae). Polystyrene box type cages also works quite well as the mantids are able to grip the polystyrene surfaces however you most ensure that the enclousure is very well ventilated, these mantids originate from hot and arid areas and don't do well in humid conditions, very well ventilated enclousures will help in keeping the humidity down
Furnish the base of the container with a substrate such as Vermiculite, peat/vermiculite mix, sand or best yet ordinary kitchen roll.
A single twig placed diagonally is the furnishing your mantid will need 2 get from bottom of the container to the top, thin Birch or willow twigs work very well but the general rule is not to overcrowd the container with furnishings as they can impede moulting and cause more harm than good in the way of the mantid being caught by the funishings while moulting, in most cases the mantid will spend most of it's time at the highest point of the enclousure (the roof) from which it will moult hence the importance of a mesh/net top to aid the mantid in getting a good foothold.
It's best not to keep the mantid in too large a container as these are ambush predators and will generally wait for the food to come to them, large enclousures will decrease the frequency of predator coming into contact with the prey.

Temperature: 30C-40C daytime, these temperatures are easily obtained by using a normal 40-60W incandestant light bulb (Desk lamps are Ideal) above the enclousure, they also benefit from basking under the lamp. Do not worry about the drop in temperature during the night when lights are out and is in fact beneficial. The warmer the mantid is kept the higher its metabolism, this coupled with increased feeding will cause the mantid to grow quicker than at a cooler temperature with less feeding.

Humidity: Around 40% humidity, these mantids are best kept in hot dry conditions so they need for misting is not strictly necessary, however a very light mist in the early morning will replicate the formation of dew.


Feeding: Fruitflies (Drosphilia hydei) from 1st instar, increase the size of prey as the mantid grows, Feed flying type foods only! in the form of house flies, green bottles, bluebottles, moths etc.. on the rare occasion they will take locusts and roaches but these should not be used as a regular food source as the mantid matures crawling foods are more than likely to be ignored. Important. Do not offer G. gongylodes crickets like most other Empusa species these can have fatal results for the mantid and can also cause problems with ootheca production.

Moulting: Mantids grow by Shedding (ecdysis) their skin, a newly hatched nymph is known as 1st instar and after each subsquent moult moves up an instar.
Signs of a imminent moult are a period of in activity, fasting, adopting a moulting postion and in sub-adult nymphs the swelling of the wingbuds, normally one or all of these signs will be noticed but they can at times take us by surprise.
Ensure any uneaten food is removed especially Locust and Roaches as the mantid can be vunerable when nearing, during and after a moult, either by knocking the mantid midmoult or the mantid becoming the prey itself.


"Tolerance" Factor: These mantids are very tolerant towards each other, even at higher instars as long as food is plentyful and are probabley one of the most "Communal" Species, however splitting the sexes is preferable. It is not recommended to keep this species communally if you only have a small number of nymphs.

Adult Size:

Females 80-95mm
Males 75-85mm


Breeding:

Sexual Diamorphism: can be sexed from 3rd instar onwards, due to the presence of a very small "hook" on the last abdominal segment of the male, this "hook" is absent in females
Females: 5 abdominal segments.
Males: 6 abdominal segments. From 5th instar the base of the antenne start to thicken, and become thicker and "feathery" after each subsequent moult.
Adult Females: Larger and bulkier than males, with "flat" wide abdomen, wing tips end about 10mm before tip of abdomen. Absence of "feathery" antenne
Adult Males: Slender, wing tips extend about 10mm past tip of abdomen.
Thick feathery antenne. Males are extremley good flyers.

Mating: Sexual maturity occurs as early as 2 weeks after reaching adulthood although it is best to wait 3-4 weeks before introductions unless kept in a mixed gender community, they can be mated earlier but the chances of unsuccessful matings and the female attacking the male are significantly increased.

Laying: Females will in most cases start lay their 1st ootheca after 3-4 weeks of being adult, with intervals of around 5-10 days for each subsequent ooth dependant on frequency of feeding and temperature.
8+ oothca can be laid during the females adult lifetime.
The female becomes very restless before laying and can often be seen wandering the enclousure in search of a site to lay.


Incubation: Approx 4-6 weeks (temperature dependent) mist incubation chamber very lightly every other day, incubation temperature around 30-40C. (I have had successful hatches without misting the ooths at all during incubation)

Hatching: Approx 15-50 nymphs.
1st instars (hatchlings) approx 10mm in size, they will not need feeding till 3 days after hatching but will benefit from a daily very light mist with warm water to allow them to drink, they will take D. hydei fruitflies as 1st instars and will beable to handle houseflies at 2nd instar. Very low hatchling/1st instar mortality rates.

Additional Note: This stunning mantis is not suit to people starting out in the hobby due to conditions needed to successfully raise them, however with proper care and feeding they are a very rewarding species.

Species: Phyllocrania paradoxa

Distribution: Central and South Africa.

Natrual Habitat: Dry Forest.

Captive Housing: General rule of 3 x the length of the mantid for height and 2 x the length for width, small nymphs (1st - 3rd instar) do well in 1/2 pint plastic cups with mesh/netting top, moving onto pint cups, sweet jars or other similar sized containers as it grows, insure container has adequate ventilation, Net type cages are the most ideal.
Furnish the base of the container with a moisture retaining substrate such as Vermiculite, peat/vermiculite mix or best yet ordinary kitchen roll.
A single twig placed diagonally is the furnishing your mantid will need 2 get from bottom of the container to the top, if you have more room fake/live plants can be added but the general is not to overcrowd the container with furnishings as they can impede moulting and cause more harm than good in the way of the mantid being caught by the funishings while moulting, in most cases the mantid will spend most of it's time at the highest point of the enclousure (the roof) from which it will moult hence the importance of a mesh/net top to aid the mantid in getting a good foothold.
It's best not to keep the mantid in too large a container as these are ambush predators and will generally wait for the food to come to them, large enclousures will decrease the frequency of predator coming into contact with the prey.

Temperature: 22-30C daytime. A night time drop of a few degrees is considered beneficial for the mantid. The warmer the mantid is kept the higher its metabolism, this coupled with increased feeding will cause the mantid to grow quicker than at a cooler temperature with less feeding.

Humidity: Around 60% humidity, ensure substrate is slightly damp at all times, mist when needed generally every/everyother day depending on temperature higher temperature = more frequent mistings.
Do not other do it with the humidity, as over humid environments can give rise to increased fungal and bactrial conditions, always ensure they have adequate ventilition coupled with the humidity, if being kept in Nets more regular misting will be needed.

Feeding: Fruitflies (Drosphilia hydei) from 1st instar, increase the size of prey as the mantid grows, these do best of a flying food diet, greenbottles, houseflies, blue bottles, moths etc... but will and can be raised on suitably sized crawling prey, the only difficulty that you can have is the crawling prey coming into contact with the mantid as they are not not very active and will remain in the same place for a number of days.

Moulting: Mantids grow by Shedding (ecdysis) their skin, a newly hatched nymph is known as 1st instar and after each subsquent moult moves up an instar.
Signs of a imminent moult are a period of in activity, fasting, adopting a moulting postion and in sub-adult nymphs the swelling of the wingbuds, normally one or all of these signs will be noticed but they can at times take us by surprise.
Ensure any uneaten food is removed especially Locust, Crickets and Roaches as the mantid can be vunerable when nearing, during and after a moult, either by knocking the mantid midmoult or the mantid becoming the prey itself.


"Tolerance" Factor: These are probabley the species most tolerant towards each other, many people believe them to be truly "communal" however no mantid species is truly communal as there is always the risk of cannablism, adult females can be particularly cannabalistic. It is not recommended to keep this species communally if you only have a small number of nymphs.

Adult Size:

Females 45-55mm
Males 40-55mm

Breeding:

Sexual Diamorphism: can be easily sexed from 3rd instar onwards!
Females: 6 abdominal segments. "Head Crown" is broad with one kink
Males: 7 abdominal segments. "Head Crown" is thin with two kinks.
Adult Females: Larger and bulkier than males, wing tips before tip of abdomen.
Adult Males: Slender, wing tips extend just past tip of abdomen. Longer antenne.

Mating: Sexual maturity generally 3-5 weeks after reaching adulthood, they can be mated earlier but the chances of unsuccessful matings and the female attacking the male are significantly increased.
Although these can be kept together as adults females do tend to be cannabalistic especially towards males.

Laying: Females will in most cases start lay their 1st ootheca after 5 weeks of being adult, with intervals of about 1 week for each subsequent ooth dependant on frequency of feeding and temperature.
10+ ootheca can be laid during the females adult lifetime.
Furnish the enclousure with thin twigs these are the preferred laying site.

Incubation: Approx 6 weeks (temperature dependent) mist incubation container lightly every/every other day, do not allow to dry out.

Hatching: Approx 10-35+ nymphs.
1st instars (hatchlings) approx 6mm insize, they will not need feeding till 3 days after hatching but will benefit from a daily light mist with warm water to allow them to drink, they will take D. hydei fruitflies as 1st instars. Very low hatchling/1st instar mortality rates. Young nymphs do like to drink.

Additional Note: These are a very popular mantid due to their tolerance towards each other and their cryptic appearance, they are also fairly striaght forward to raise and breed.

Species: Creobroter sp (gemmatus, pictipennis, elongata)

Distribution: Though out Asia.

Natrual Habitat: Forest/Rainforest

Captive Housing: General rule of 3 x the length of the mantid for height and 2 x the length for width, small nymphs (1st - 3rd instar) do well in 1/2 pint plastic cups with mesh/netting top, moving onto pint cups or other similar sized containers as it grows can be kept in pint cups as adults, insure container has adequate ventilation.
Furnish the base of the container with a moisture retaining substrate such as Vermiculite, peat/vermiculite mix or best yet ordinary kitchen roll.
A single twig placed diagonally is the furnishing your mantid will need 2 get from bottom of the container to the top, if you have more room fake/live plants can be added but the general is not to overcrowd the container with furnishings as they can impede moulting and cause more harm than good in the way of the mantid being caught by the funishings while moulting, in most cases the mantid will spend most of it's time at the highest point of the enclousure (the roof) from which it will moult hence the importance of a mesh/net top to aid the mantid in getting a good foothold.
It's best not to keep the mantid in too large a container as these are ambush predators and will generally wait for the food to come to them, large enclousures will decrease the frequency of predator coming into contact with the prey.

Temperature: 22-30C daytime, 20C is considered as room temperature, so in most cases no extra heating is needed. A night time drop of a few degrees is considered beneficial for the mantid. The warmer the mantid is kept the higher its metabolism, this coupled with increased feeding will cause the mantid to grow quicker than at a cooler temperature with less feeding.

Humidity: Around 60% humidity, insure substrate is slightly damp at all times, mist when needed generally every/everyother day.

Feeding: Fruitflies (Drosphilia hydei) from 1st instar, increase the size of prey as the mantid grows, will take just about any suitable sized foods, greenbottles, Bluebottle flies, locust, Roaches. They will tackle prey items larger than themselves.

Moulting: Mantids grow by Shedding (ecdysis) their skin, a newly hatched nymph is known as 1st instar and after each subsquent moult moves up an instar.
Signs of a imminent moult are a period of in activity, fasting, adopting a moulting postion and in sub-adult nymphs the swelling of the wingbuds, normally one or all of these signs will be noticed but they can at times take us by surprise.
Ensure any uneaten food is removed especially Locust, Crickets and Roaches as the mantid can be vunerable when nearing, during and after a moult, either by knocking the mantid midmoult or the mantid becoming the prey itself.


"Tolerance" Factor: Although it is not recommended these are "fairly" toleratant as long as ample food is always available.

Adult Size:

Females: C. gemmatus 30-40mm, C. pictipennis 40-55mm, C. elongata 40-55mm
Males C.gemmatus 30-40mm, C. pictipennis 40-50mm, C. elongata 40-50mm

Breeding:

Sexual Diamorphism: can be easily sexed from 4th instar onwards!
Females: 6 abdominal segments.
Males: 7 abdominal segments.
Adult Females: Larger and bulkier than males, wing tips end at tip of abdomen.
Adult Males: Slender and smaller than females, wing tips extend about 10mm past tip of abdomen generally smaller in length than the females.

Mating: Sexual maturity generally around 2 weeks after reaching adulthood, they can be mated earlier but the chances of unsuccessful matings and the female attacking the male are significantly increased.

Laying: Females will in most cases start lay their 1st ootheca after 4 weeks of being adult, with intervals of between 1 week for each subsequent ooth dependant on frequency of feeding and temperature

Incubation: Approx 4-6 weeks (temperature dependent) mist incubation container lightly every/every other day, do not allow to dry out.

Hatching: Approx 20-50 nymphs depending on ootheca size, species and incubation. 1st instars (hatchlings) approx 2-4mm insize, they will not need feeding till 3 days after hatching but will benefit from a daily light mist with warm water to allow them to drink, dispite their size they will take D. hydei fruitflies as 1st instars. .

Additional Note: Creobroter sp are one of the easier "Flower Mantids" and are ideal starter mantid due to their hardy nature and ease of breeding.
As with most mantid species it is best to purchase a nymph of at least 2nd/3rd instar to increase it's and your chances of raising it, the higher the instar the more stable it should be.
It is also worth mentioning that their are many species on Creobroter which are similar in appearance so it is important that if you wish to breed them that you source the mantids from the same breeder or you know 100% that they are from the same stock, this will help keep "inbreeding" down and also avoid disappoint as mating of 2 different species will either produce inviable weak nymphs or no nymphs at all.