Hymenopus coronatus
ORCHID MANTIS
Special notes: This species is prone to fungal infections, though not all cases are fatal. Other than that, they are easy to care for. The nymphs do drink water frequently, so water them every four days. I have noticed that orchid nymphs that are about to die develop a dark coloration on their face. When they first hatch from the ootheca, they are camouflaged as assassin bugs as they are black and red but lose this color as they molt into L2's.
2.24.08 Well, I forgot to update, but the other female molted to adult a week after the first one did (at least I think it was a week). Both are very fat, as I dumped a bunch of housefly pupae in their cages and they ate about 100 of the hatched flies (yeah, I'm not exaggerating - they are pigs!). Anyway, I'm going to get a male on the 28th in a breeding loan, looks like I will be able to breed orchids after all!
2.08.08 One female molted to adult!! Yay! Caught her as she finished it off.
I thought at first her wings would be dry in that position, but 12 hours later her molt was flaw free! The other female should molt any day now, her wing buds are bulging. And, more good news as well: a fellow mantid forum member currently has males that he is willing to loan and he says they will last another 2.5 weeks: enough time for my females to mature! woot!
1.14.08 Both males are dead.
1.12.08 Turns out the females were really SUBSUBADULT. There is no way they can make it in time before the males die... fingers crossed.
12.15.07 Oh poop, both orchid males matured to adult. Females are still at subadult! All I can do now is feed the females like crazy and cool the males down.
11.25.07 Two more molted into L5's, leaving me with a lone L4.
11.24.07 I transferred them all into my sis's room, which has pink carpet, to get them to get pinker. Coronatus will gain the color of their surroundings, i.e. white surroundings, white color. The color changes through molts, so hopefully I can get some defined pink shades on these mantids.
11.22.07 One of the H. coronatus males molted into an L5... have I been keeping track correctly? He looks so small, how can he mature in only two more molts? O_o
11.19.07 Nothing special, I have zoned in on the two most aggressive mantids. Two of the nymphs, malexfemale, will attack their prey (crickets) vigorously. However, the two other male and female aren't as aggressive and just stare at the prey without striking... I will most likely mate the two most aggressive with each other and the other two less aggressive with each other.
11.12.07 I have all L4's now. Now that they are bigger I can count their segments better and apparently I have two males and two females.
11.11.07 Another one molted, so I only have one lone L3. And again, I stand corrected. I have a male among the females so I have a chance to breed 'em if he survives to adulthood. :)
11.09.07 One of my coronatus molted into an L4! :)
Update: Another one molted into an L4 tonight!
11.09.07 I ordered four L2/3 nymphs from Calvin (Ogiga). He sent me five, and two of the died, so he sent me two more replacements. One died and now I am left with the four that I originally paid for. All four are now L3's and seem to be all female (urk! I want to breed this species so I'll have to find a male). Orchids seem to not notice prey when it is right in front of them; they see it from a distance and then zone in on it. Once they lock onto their prey, they are excellent strikers and almost never miss. I have one orchid that does not seem to like hunting because it never strikes at its food so I am forced to handfeed it. The handfeeding only takes about 30 seconds as the orchid is interested in food. Currently they are taking fruit flies, but on occasion I have fed them small crickets.
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