Newbie in the Twin Cities

sss81387

sss81387

First Instar
Hello everybody,

I'm just venturing into the world of roaches. Presently I just keep reptiles and amphibians. I also have a Tanzanian red trapdoor spider. As far as insects go, I kept a mantid my friend found in a box shipped to his warehouse (we think it was a Stagomantis californica after much researching, but its bad adult molt made it difficult to be sure). I've done crickets on and off in the past, but I usually end up feeding them off right away, as I don't like them. So I thought I'd try roaches, they seem a lot more likable. I haven't actually got any yet, just in the research/equipment collection phase. I originally planned on getting a dubia colony as feeders, but now I am really interested in getting some Panchlora nivea. The whole idea of climbing AND FLYING roaches kinda threw me off, but they are very pretty, and would make perfect feeders for my melanistic red eyed tree frogs. I thought I'd come here to get some questions answered, learn a bunch, and further my obsession with keeping animals and plants.

Thanks in advance for all your help (I'm going to be posting a question fairly soon in the appropriate forum).

 
Welcome! Do you have a picture of the Stagmomantis californica like mantis? I think the Stagmomantis californica only live in the south but could have come from there on a truck or something from somewhere like Mexico or southern California I guess.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ill post a picture of her when I get to a proper computer. She was in a box that was shipped by air from China to Hawaii to Las Angeles, then by train to Minneapolis according to my friend who found her. You can imagine I learned a lot about a lot of different mantid species trying to id her.

 
Here are a couple pictures of her:

/monthly_07_2013/post-3186-0-64089500-1373013717_thumb.jpg/monthly_07_2013/post-3186-0-21710400-1373013718_thumb.jpg

 

Attachments

  • 75156_10102471427995420_1424380642_n.jpg
    75156_10102471427995420_1424380642_n.jpg
    19.2 KB · Views: 0
  • 552571_10102471422112210_1569687998_n.jpg
    552571_10102471422112210_1569687998_n.jpg
    68.2 KB · Views: 0
She looks like Mantis religiosa which I think is very common in LA. Haha, I was hoping that it would be a Statilia or something else from China. Did she lay an ootheca?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
She did, but none proved fertile. He got her just before her molt into adulthood, and we were still scrambling to ID her and find a mate when she passed away. We searched for several months. We were thinking of taking her to the natural history museum at the U of M, but it was too cold at the time.

 
It was about six or seven months after her final molt. I was thinking it was because it was because it was January in MN when she passed. She was in my reptile room, so temps were good, but up here--even with proper heat and lighting--reptiles that "aren't supposed to brumate" tend to at least sort of brumate in late December through January. I tossed it up to that telling her her life cycle was over and the bumpy ride she had up here. I doted over her (I'd wanted a mantis since I can remember), and was getting advice from the daughter of the owner of our local herp shop, who is an invertebrate guru. She just started getting slower and slower that last month, til she stopped :(

 
Last edited by a moderator:
She died old. I think there are Mantis religiosa in your area. Have you seen any? Cooler temperatures would have let her live much longer. Maybe Chinese Mantids are taking over in your area lol. The Chinese Mantis I think need grass or plants to live on. The Mantis religiosa might be able to live on rocky ground.

Video of mantis that seems to be Mantis religiosa. There are many subspecies of Mantis religiosa and I read that the ones in North America are Mantis religiosa religiosa.

 
They are fairly rare up here in the "wild", though it is common to see them near farmers properties or near orchards that buy ootheca and pin them up around their properties. They were a bit more common in my my home state of IL, where winters are a little more mild. They are saying they are starting to overwinter better here as our winters get more mild of late. The most common species I see up here is Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, though

 
The short summers should not be a problem since they live farther north. It is not so cold that there are not many flies, grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects outside right? In cities I do not think they could live. But maybe in gardens.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
cities actually generate heat, which is why some wildlife, certain birds in particular, are now mainly found in cities. I don't know of examples of city-dwelling insects though.

 
Cities are not good places for mantids and many other animals. Probably because there are fewer animals for them to eat. Statilia maculata of South Korea seem to be able to eat spiders off of apartments but I am not sure if they did well living. In your area do you have any places that have thick grass and many wild plants and trees? In the grassy areas with a lot of little animals should have the Chinese Mantids.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Statilia maculata!!! I use to find quite a number of them at the apartment where I used to live (I lived in Ulsan, SK).

 
Really!! I came from Daejeon South Korea to America about two years ago.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top