male or female and is it subadult? - Page 2

noobsauce · #11 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 08:28

how long has the lil guy been sub mate?

creobroterman · #12 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahull

I'm guessing you were happy, lol

I was

, and a little surprised. you should hear some of the other crazy things that mantis did, he was an escape artist capable of mating until the day before he died. and now his nymphs will soon be adults.

chun · #13 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by creobroterman

Alex, one of my females just became subadult yesterday, and the ovipositer got huge, much more pronounced. judging by the fact that there is no protruding ovipositer

i think you mean cerci, not ovipositor; mantids do not have an ovipositor.

creobroterman · #14 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by chun

i think you mean cerci, not ovipositor; mantids do not have an ovipositor.

not cerci, the pointy thing at the end of a female's abdomen, clear in this picture:

http://djringer.com/photos/d/4514-2/...le-abdomen.jpg

chun · #15 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 12:56

i believe those 'pointy things' are the cerci.

andy bailey · #16 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 13:05

You know you`re both right! depends on your frame of reference....the more blunt `pointy thing` between the cerci is the ovipositor

plant · #17 (**permalink**) 13th March 2010, 13:26

I was having a look about this and found an interesting ovipositor image on this page. I didn't realise mantids had these. They are very reduced compared to crickets. I wonder if they are more noticeable in some species, such as S. carolina than others.
Carolina Mantis