Phyllovates chlorophaea
TEXAS UNICORN MANTIS
  
Special notes: This is a communal species and they can be housed together. They are the least cannibalistic species of mantid out there and even do not cannibalize when there has been a shortage of food. I have noticed that most of this species are skittish and a bit shy. They get threatened easily and will go into a defense posture frequently when they are poked by a finger or startled by a prey insect (a cricket jumping up and landing on the mantid's head is a good example).
2.10.08 Well, I haven't updated in a while. All chlorophaea are long dead, and I didn't mate them either since the remaining female didn't cooperate. So, RIP to the Texicorns. I will not be continuing this species any time in the future, at least for now.
12.4.07 Two days ago my most vigorous female died. I am not sure why, but I think she is eggbound. She laid about one fourth of an infertile ooth and stopped there. I found the cage with a black streak going down. Vomit? It didn't smell like the vomit I encountered in the past. But then again, that past vomit was from horribly bacteria infested crickets, and she's just been eating honey gut-loaded flies so that wouldn't smell. Unfortunate she died, as she did not mate, and her death is somewhat a mystery as the other female is still going as well as the male. The surviving female also laid her infertile ooth a couple days ago, so if I wish to mate the chlorophaea I better hurry.
11.22.07 Since I cannot mate them, I am thinking of selling off the male and one of the females. However, it will be my first transaction and it is starting to get cold so I am a bit tentative of doing so, but if I wait until it gets warmer they will most likely be dead by then.
11.18.07 I swear my texicorns are plotting against me or something.
Tried again today. They've been adults for at least a month. Male mounted at least ten times. Female would not stay still and dragged him all over the place. She managed to get him off her no matter what.
Then, I finally switched to another, calmer female. He mounted several times. She would stay still, but would use her forearms to pry his off of her neck. While doing this, he freaks out and repositions his forearms. He stupidly placed them under her head and she chewed off one of his sticky feet.
I placed them both on a fake tree in my room. They immediately calmed down. Then, I poked the male and he walked a little more and sensed the female in front of him. He mounted, she didn't move, she didn't knock him off. I quickly ran to get her a cricket in case she decided to move. I came back and gave her it. The male stayed on her. A few minutes later, he let go with one of his forearms and seemed to forget he mounted. Then he let go with the other forearm and crawled off of her. Right when everything actually was going to work, he forgets and walks away! UGH. I give up with this species.
11.09.07 I tried mating the male with the other female. Same problem. Looks like I won't be getting any fertile ooths any time soon as the females are not being receptive OR cooperative. >.>;
11.08.07
I currently have two adult females and an adult male with crippled wings (so I snipped 'em off). I recieved them as subsubadults (subadult for the male) from an infamous mantid breeder named Yen Saw. Even though this species is communal I have them housed separately. I guess it is a force of habit. All of them are currently taking 1/2 - 3/4 inch crickets and the occasional skipper or moth. One of my females as a subadult took dragonflies easily. They have been adults for several weeks and I want to breed these even though they are said to be a challenge; the females produce many ooths, but most are infertile and the ones that are bear very few nymphs. I hope luck is on my side; one step at a time though. First I have to get the male and female to mate.
It has been a total frustration with these two as I have tried to mate them with no success whatsoever. I guess I need to give it more time. The male recognizes the female if he is calm and not squirmy. He, when noticing her, strikes at her but this seems to be his way of advancing because he keeps striking until he locks on to her and gets on her back. He is so long that he cannot fit on her back and must stand on the ground. The female I am trying to mate him with is extremely active and is an aggressive hunter. She will not keep still when he is on her and walks around. Since he is so long, he is being dragged as she walks and is forced to let go if she walks too much. This is what keeps happening to me; the female keeps squirming and the male keeps letting go before he can even get connected with her. It's proved to be quite frustrating. I did get them to connect for a BRIEF second before I left for the trip, but it's evident she didn't get any sperm because she hasn't produced any ootheca yet (if she got sperm she would produce ootheca very soon since she is such an old female and will be producing an infertile one anyway). Right now they both are in the same container and on opposite sides of it. -sigh-
| 
