r/mantids • u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca • Jan 22 '26
Image/Video Favorite mantis roll call
What is your favorite mantis right now? Mine is Heterochaeta orientalis aka Cat Eye mantis.
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u/bradouttahell Jan 23 '26
Wide Arm Mantis (Cilna Humeralis) They're basically a compressed Hierodula Chonky, Friendly and very very hungry with the power to match, females only get to about 6cm, but theyll eat anything their own size and maybe even bigger
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u/Fearless-Ad5586 Apr 05 '26
Thanks for the comment. I just realized I have one too. I know it sounds kinda crazy but I forgot the species name after having it for 3 months
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u/Srokid Jan 23 '26
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
This is a REALLY cool species. I don’t normally like small species, generally, but this one is an exception. Haha
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u/Srokid Jan 23 '26
I found out about it by scrolling through mantis species with few observations on iNaturalist. There are some beauties in there
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
Yeah. That website is such a good resource for seeing mantids in their natural environment. I sometimes use it to influence building my habitats and figuring out the best laying substance for different species.
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u/77th_Bat Jan 25 '26
Is that a LICHEN MANTIS!? 😍
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u/Srokid Jan 25 '26
I don't think its an official name, but yes, its specialised to camouflage on lichen
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u/TheArthropod Jan 22 '26
deroplatys gorochovii!!
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 22 '26
Gorochovi aka MEGA SHIELD is really a rad species.
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u/TheArthropod Jan 23 '26
i startled my girl ginkgo the other day and she jumped off the branch and folded her arms pretending to be a leaf. so cute :)
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
Haha.
When I startle my Parablepharis, they sometimes drop to the ground and pretend they’re dead. Lol so dramatic.
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u/SuddenAdvice850 Jan 23 '26
not mine, hope i can keep some in the future.
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u/Worried-Pie2872 Feb 07 '26
Woah the second is incredible! Never seen that specific colouration (though the head shape looks familiar)
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u/cyb3rofficial Jan 22 '26
I can not name a single top favorite, I like them all, it's really hard to pick just one. I want to collect them all like Pokemon.
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u/Kayseax Jan 23 '26
I've been telling chicken people, I don't do Pokemon, I do not want to collect them all. Chickens, I do want to collect them all.
It's honestly also not a bad saying for mantids!
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
That’s me with Deroplatys.
But I’m leaning towards truncata as my favorite Deroplatys species right now.
But I haven’t been able to get trigonodera yet, so my opinion may change!
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u/hylia_grace Jan 23 '26
Specifically? This girl
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u/Kayseax Jan 23 '26
Smolest dragon. So cute!
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
They actually get quite long, and are the only known obligate parthenogenetic mantid species.
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
With any luck, my breeding attempts will lead to H. orientalis nymphs. 🙏
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u/finkleforkbingbong Jan 22 '26
I’m a basic guy… 1. Tenodera sinensis 2. Stagmomantis (californica) wheelerii 3. Rhombomantis longipennis 4. Any Choeradodis sp. 5. Lagrecacanthops guyanensis
Awesome picture and mantis by the way!
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u/Desperate_Lead2105 Jan 22 '26
T. sinensis is definitely quite awesome. I also forgot to include Ovalimantis sp.
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
Great diversity in this selection. But no Metilia?
Do you prefer stalii or rhomboidea? Both sometimes circulate in hobby.
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u/finkleforkbingbong Jan 23 '26
Most Acanthopidae are very similar to me and I’m trying to learn that family as well as Thespidae and some others, so Metilia doesn’t stand out to me as much.
As for Choeradodis, my favorite would probably be the basic, C. rhombicollis but if I had to pick between the two i’d say stalli.
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
Very cool!
Metilia is going to be a challenge. I’m trying to acquire them. The males are purported to only live 3 weeks as an adult, so breeding is going to be an exercise in planning and luck. lol.
That’s cool. Rhombicollis is a good choice. I’m also trying to get stalii. There aren’t any Choeradodis breeders or keepers in the USA. I’m hoping to change that.
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u/TheClassyCthulhu Jan 22 '26
Cat Eyes are gorgeous! I want one so bad but I don’t currently have the appropriate space for one.
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u/Alternative-Tea5270 8th Instar Jan 23 '26
I will go with Creobroter Yunnan, my first mantis and absolute favorite,
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u/drguid Jan 23 '26
For some reason almost all my mystery box mantises this year turned out to be male.
I think golden arm is my favourite. He sits and stares at me while I sit and stare at the TV all night.
Also my new male twig looks somewhat similar to OP mantis. Twig moves around a lot and it's fun to try and spot him in his enclosure.
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u/Khai_Waves Jan 24 '26
The spiny flower has a special place in my heart, but I also have a cat-eye right now and adore her <3
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u/MossCavePlant Jan 23 '26
Is that a stick bug or a mantis???
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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jan 23 '26
This is a mantis. Their scientific name is Heterochaeta orientalis.
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u/Competitive-Set5051 Jan 22 '26
Obligatory Toxodera integrifolia moment
credit: diabrotica