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If you are to be in the hobby, you need to understand the words the hobbyists use first. Below are common terms used by us hobbyists.
thorax - the middle part of the insect, where most appendages are located. abdomen - the part of the insect that contains the digestive tract and the excretory system. cuticle - a multi-layered structure outside the epidermis of many invertebrates, in which it forms an exoskeleton. exoskeleton - the hard covering of an insect that keeps moisture on the inside, made of chitin. It cannot grow and must be split for the insect to get larger, a process called molting. molting / shedding - the process in which the exoskeleton of an insect splits to release the larger body that grew within. Mantids require an adequate hanging position to do this and shake and spasm violently to tear free of the exoskeleton. Molting usually takes 20 minutes tops to complete. Bad molts consist of mantids that could not separate from their old exoskeleton and are left crippled or deformed as the exoskeleton hardens soon after the larger organism wiggles free of the older skin. If the mantis has a chance to survive to the next molting period, given adequate molting conditions this time, it can regenerate back to its normal form. raptorial / forearms - the grasping arms of the mantis that capture prey. antenna - the two long 'hairs' on top of the insect's head that allow it to 'smell' its environment. neck - the elongated part of the mantis that connects its head to its thorax. tongue - mantids have four internal mouthparts; two the ones that bite and chew, two others that are used to drink moisture. These two mouthparts are usually referred to as a 'tongue'. fungal infection - a type of bacteria that infects flower mantid species and can be fatal as the bacteria spreads on the living mantis and eventually can kill it. Fungal infections are caused by improper ventilation and are usually black. They make the affected area moist or wet, though there have been cases where the fungal infection is 'dry'. However, dead limbs of mantids (for example if a leg was cut off halfway) can turn black at the tip and are not fungal infections. nymphs - baby mantids. instar - an instar refers to the number of molts the mantis has gone through and is represented by an L. Newly hatched nymphs are referred to as L1. An L2 mantis means that the mantis has molted once since hatching, an L5 means that it molted 4 times since hatching, etc. The highest instar is the 6th or 7th depending on the species. An L7 mantis is an adult. Male mantids only recieve 6 instars since they mature earlier than females do. subadult - a mantis that is one molt away from becoming an adult. adult - a mantis that has fully developed its wings and sexual organs. wingbuds - little buds that will develop into wings as the mantis nears adulthood. These buds are located on the thorax on the back of the mantis. ootheca - the egg sac of a mantis. It can contain up to 250 eggs.
> Mantids, like all insects, do not breathe through their mouths, but through small holes that line the length of their abdomens. They cannot choke on prey since they do not breathe through their mouthparts. > Mantids bleed green blood, so if you see red spots on your mantis it is most likely coloration and is not blood. The green blood of a mantis is somewhat opaque and hardens to a clear bubble.
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