Spiny flower mantis
| Spiny flower mantis |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Binomial Name |
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Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii |
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Spiny flower mantis is a species of praying mantis known by the scientific name Psuedocreobotra wahlbergii. They are perhaps best known for their coloration and body decoration that gives them their name. They are African in origin and most popular as house pets, which are easy to keep even for beginners. [1]
Body Design
The Spiny flower mantis is a beautiful creature, even if it is an insect. The organism is 38- 42mm long. The body of the mantis consists of long white, green and pink stripes. The stripes take up all the space between the head and the back end of the mantis. This organism has very cool looking legs, they are green and white, which are them held together by pink joints. On the front legs of the mantis, it has hooks and barbs, used for catching prey for them to eat. Fleshy lobes on the mantises abdomen, give it some decoration. Usually on females the fleshy lobes are larger than males. On a nymph, the coloration is similar, it has an upturned abdomen.
Its wings are also very small compared to the adult. A just born nymph is black and brown with white banded legs. The spots are also white as well. A young nymphs head and eyes are black; they will change color as the mantis matures. The head is also very colorful; it consists of green and pink coloring. The eyes of the spiny flower mantis are a very strange color, pink, now that’s an eye color you don’t see every day. The forewings, they are just stunning to look at. They are long and narrow, colored in green and cream, that meet in the middle were a large yellow and green eye spot sits, with a black center. The other wings are just clear with pale veination, also the hind wings are the same, except they turn pale orange when you get near the body. And finally, the antennae are a beautiful shade of green and cream. This truly is a beautiful creation by God. We should take more time in our daily lives and thank God for the wonderful creation that He has provided for us. [2]
Life Cycle
The life of a Spiny flower mantis can last six months, and sometimes, is their lucky, up to a year. Within the time that they are alive, they go through three stages of life: the egg stage, the nymph stage, and the adult stage. All of these stages play a big role in how the mantis will survive. The egg stage: The adult spiny flower mantis and other mantises as well, always lay their eggs right before winter starts. But before that, during the fall season, when the fertilization is finished, the mother mantis will lay around 100 to 400 eggs! To protect the eggs during the harsh winter weather, the mother puts a frosty liquid on the eggs. This liquid then hardens and provided a protective covering for the eggs during the winter. The egg protective cases are called ootheca. Inside the ootheca, for each egg, there is a space for each. When it is time to hatch, the babies climb through the little one way vessels in the compartments. These one way vessels help the hatching process go smother, so they can just crawl right out and start their new lives. The baby spiny flower mantises hatch in the spring. When they feel the warmth they know it’s time to come out. The warmth of spring also helps expedite the hatching process. The nymph stage: this stage of newly hatched life appears in the spring and in the spring only. After the young ones hatch, they hang around home (the ootheca) for a little and taste the wonderful fresh air. These baby mantises are also very hungry when they first hatch, so in the time that they are hanging around the ootheca, they will try to eat one another. When they finally leave their old home, they will start hunting for real food. They will hunt for organisms, such as fruit flies and other small insects. When they are in the nymph stage, they are an easy target for other predators, so most mantises don’t make it past the nymph stage. The adult stage: this stage of becoming adults happens in the summer. During the late spring, early summer, the mantis will spend its time hunting for food. They also make sure that this food will not be able to eat them, so they learn to become cautious. Growing at a steady pace the mantis will shed its exoskeleton as much as ten times. It will be done growing by the end of the summer. Before the mantis is about to molt, it becomes tired and sluggish, it also doesn't want to eat for some time. When they molt, the mantis usually finds a quiet place to rest, like a leaf or a branch. So during each molt they become very vulnerable to predators. But, after each molt they become bigger and stronger. And sometime during the mantises adulthood, it will mate and lay eggs. When it dies the cycle starts all over again, starting with the egg stage. http://www.theprayingmantis.org/Mantis-Life-Cycle.php
Ecology
In the wild, the spiny flower mantis is very good at blending in with their environment. With their bright colored body’s, they have no problem blending in with flowers. Since spiny flower mantises are usually kept as pets, not very many, compared to other organisms, live in the wild. Although the ones that do live in the wild, are considered endangered. They are so rare, there hard to come by. Since these beautiful organisms eat mostly crickets, moths, mealworms, and houseflies, they help reduce the populations of those, which are a big help, if they live by you. If this organism were to be put out in a place outside of its environment, it would be an easy target for other predators. Since the spiny flower mantis comes in many bright colors, it stands out very well. During most of its life, out in the wild, it is usually protecting itself from predators, or looking for food. In the wild, they learn from an early age that, in order to survive you have to be very cautious, and keep your guard up at all times. This fragile yet powerful creature does little things to protect itself and help the environment at the same time. God is the designer of all His creation and, I have to admit His is the greatest artist of all the history of the world and the history to come. http://mantiskingdom.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=18&chapter=1
Keep one as a pet!
Do you want a pet that is easy to take care of, plus beautiful to look at, well, you have come to the right place! The spiny flower mantis makes a wonderful pet; your friends will be amazed. But before you go out and buy one you should know a few things first. You want your mantis to live in a happy environment, right. The appearance of a flower spiny mantis is, as you probably already know, very different from others, and yet beautiful. Now the question is, do you get a male or female, well that’s really up to you, but it’s still good to know about both. Females are bigger than males, at 4 cm long, they are bigger because they are the ones that take care of the eggs and defend themselves the most. The males are only 3.5 cm long, not much of a difference but still a difference. On the female, you can count up to 6 stripes on the abdomen, while on the male you can count 8. The right climate of these wonderful little creatures is a heated area. The best temperature to keep the case at would be between 75- 85F. Make sure that the humidity in the case is 60-70%, also, it’s very important to have good vegetation. The spiny flower mantis is very prone to fungal infections. To make the mantis feel happy in his little home, the cage is very important. Fill the cage with lots of twigs and leaves for the mantis to climb on. Feed the mantis with twisters, you will know he is hungry, if he takes the food. Feed the mantis fruit flies, crickets, moths, mealworms, houseflies, and other flying insects. Make sure to mist the cage daily, to keep it hydrated. When the mantis molts the mantis will stop eating 2 days or longer prior to the molt. Molting takes about 3-4 weeks. The females will have up to 7 molts in its life time, a male will have 6. If you want to mate this breed, it’s a pain. Leave a male and a female in a cage for 3-4 weeks, maybe longer if necessary. All in all this is a very nice pet to have. You will very much enjoy having this in your house and part of your family. We are so blessed to have so many amazing different animals surrounding us, God really is good and the number one Creator of all things. http://mantiskingdom.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=18&chapter=1
Video
P. wahlbergii Promo 'Morrigan'...
References
- http://www.pawsforwildlife.co.uk/spiny_flower_mantis.php
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- Authorlastname, Firstname. Page-Title Publishing-site-name. Web. Date-of-publication or last-update or access (specify which).
