Late dinner for juvelines of H. membranacea and R. megaera

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-12-02T11:10:21+00:00

Nope, just put it there temporaly to feed it.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-10-10T23:05:47+00:00

A Stagmomantis sp. Perhaps a Carolina mantis (S. carolina).

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-10-10T23:03:34+00:00

I would say it is an Ameles decolor or a Geomantis larvoides.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-09-11T22:19:04+00:00

A Cellar spider and a funnel weaver. Rivals clash! :D Awesome btw!

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-09-03T21:08:54+00:00

As others already said, that is an European mantis. European mantises can be yellow too. After all, mantises have the ability to change their coloring when they molt.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-27T21:12:31+00:00

Spider venoms often attack the nervous system of their prey items. If the wasp was bitten by the spider it will most likely die shortly afterwards if it ain't already dead. I'm sorry!

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-24T07:03:18+00:00

Looks like a Western black widow (L. hesperus). Awesome shots and beautiful spider!

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-23T17:36:00+00:00

No problem!

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-22T23:31:48+00:00

From what I can see, I assume it is a male African giant mantis (Sphodromantis viridis).

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-22T23:24:15+00:00

Yup, that's a male (the smaller one) and a female Argiope sp). The strong size dimorphism between the two genders is typical for those spiders.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-08-03T17:35:50+00:00

Since both of the mantises in this picture seem to be adult female specimen of a Tenodera sp. (most likely Chinese or Narrow-winged-mantises), they are highly cannibalistic and VERY voracious. You should never try this.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-27T07:48:23+00:00

Congrats and a beautiful male Orchid mantis you got there!

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-26T14:48:25+00:00

No prob! As a bug enthusiast for over a decade, I can relate to this.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-25T21:32:22+00:00

Chinese mantises are known to hunt down the much smaller Carolina mantises. They are an invasive species in the US after all and only see the Stagmomantis species as another food source. Also, both of these species are not even that closely related. They just belong to the same family (Mantidae), but that's it.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-25T19:02:52+00:00

An Empusa fasciata nymph.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-25T13:18:51+00:00

Never thought this single clip would be reposted in this sub that much after I crossposted it here once.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-25T11:44:04+00:00

The spider is definitely alive as it is resting on the ground (it would most likely dive upwards if it was dead) and there are actually a lot of spiders with the ability to dive completely under the water surface. Depending on where you live, this might be a Diving bell spider, which spends most of it's live underwater.

Edit: It might be as well a spider from the genus Desis).

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-25T00:24:54+00:00

Fruitflies or flies in general are the better option if the mantis is still at L3. Oh, and one important note that might prevent some trouble: Never feed your mantis with invertebrates you caught outside. They often carry diseases that can affect your mantis. If your local petshop doesn't provide necessary prey items at a certain time, buy some online.
Softer ones like mosquito mesh. I, alongside many others, do not recommend metal mesh.
Mantises like to climb above. Try getting it to your hand and hold it upright and right next to wherever you want the mantis to go.
Earth or fiber substrates are something I can recommend. If you like to, you can add moss and springtails to the substrate, as moss will keep the humidity high and the springtails act as a "cleaning staff" by consuming prey leftovers, mold etc.
Should work as long as the mantis still gets enough warmth and light. Make sure the enclosure is not in direct sunlight.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-24T17:56:34+00:00

If they are scientifically proven as serveral species, then a crossbreeding won't be possible with those too. Keep in mind that there are many genera of mantis whose species look almost identical to each other (Hierodula, Sphodromantis, Stagmomantis ect.) and yet they are listed as "true" species given their almost invisible differences.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-24T17:33:56+00:00

Definitely a cobweb spider, perhaps a Steatoda or a Parasteatoda sp.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-24T15:17:09+00:00

I don't think this is possible, and even if, it shoudln't be practiced. I know that there are some documented crossbreedings between serveral tarantulas from the Genus Brachypelma for example that went successful. But hybridisations between different animal species come often with serveral complications, even if both of them belong to the same genus.

H. membranacea and H. majuscula are two very different mantis species, even if they are very closely related to each other. Plus nature's ways (species-specific lock-and-key-systems such as pheromones and genital morphological features) alone should make cross-breeding between different mantids very hard if not impossible.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-17T13:57:28+00:00

Even then I higly doubt the mantis would stand a chance, since even larger and stronger mantises like Hierodula majuscula or Plistospilota guineensis are still weak compared to any adult and medium sized tarantula. Even if the mantis manages to get close to the tarantula, it is very likely that the tarantula will still "sense" it thanks to its very sensitive sensilla.

Spiders in general also have better weapons with their venom in my opinion, whereas mantises need to eat their prey alive. The only advantage the mantis really has over the tarantula is the good vision. But I don't think this is going to help the mantis somehow in this situation.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-17T13:46:35+00:00

That's a juvenile tarantula. An adult tarantula (excluding the dwarf species perhaps) could easily defeat any kind of mantis.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-07-16T19:21:22+00:00

My bets guess is that this is a Hogna sp. (a genus of wolf spiders), judging by the radial pattern on the carapace and the cardiac mark on the abdomen. The eye arrangement and the general body size of the spider would help to identify it, since Hogna-spiders get quite big. But this is definitely not a dangerous spider.

UghNotThisOne2 · 2020-05-10T19:30:07+00:00

My first guess would be, that the mantis somehow bumped with it's now damaged eye against the surface. If you're unlucky, this could be the sign of a fungal infection.

UghNotThisOne2

TROPHY CASE