Mantid ID *pics*

Well I figured since Mike's the mantid guy, I'd post here. I found this mantid, along with another one here in Houston. BL of about 3" and very cool lol. They kept trying to climb on my camera lens and my head, haha. Aight well here's the pics

Stick mantid, maybe? I dunno. The only US species I can easily ID are the European and Chinese mantids.

Threspotia graminis
Grass Mantid

according to my books...

never seen one that looks like that.

want one!!!!

Thanks, Venom! That looks right. I'll let them go because apparently they're adults. I thought since they didn't have wings they were nymphs.

Those are adults?? Weeeeiiiirrrrrd . . .

keep them! or one at least, if you can find out if they're males or females perhaps you can catch another and mate them. I do that with European mantids I get in the summer sometimes. They're very easy to keep, I just feed them crickets and grasshoppers I find in the area or the crickets I get at the pet store for my beardie. The species you have should get fruit flies, though, which you can get at petco (you can buy a whole culture and they're flightless) or maybe tiny crickets. If you can count the segments the males would have about 8 segments with long antennae and the female would have 6 segments with short antennae (though those might both be females unless they're not fully mature because I think only the females are completely wingless). Anyway, they're supposed to be very easy to take care of and very mild mannered. I'd keep at least one of them and see if you can't find a mate, if you've got the time.

Hehe Mike guess your not the mantid guy anymore time for a name change.

lol mikes position has been taken over by a woman who would of ever expected that.
no offence intended to you femmephyllocrania

Eh, it's all good. I only took up the name because of all the Europeans I'd keep growing up.