# How to sex a mantis??



## billsy (Nov 29, 2008)

Hi guys!!

I recently got my first mantis :2thumb: Its a Hierodula membranacea (think thats the scientific name any way!) Giant asian mantis. 

It's a fantastic little thing but don't know what sex it is :blush: i know its something to do with the segments on the under-side of its abdomen but what i dont know is how many = which sex :lol2:

It has 5-6 from what i can see (it's only an L4 so its pretty hard to count when they're so small and never stay still!!)

Thanks guys!!

: victory:


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Males have 8 segments and females usually 6, sounds like you have a girl


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## andie (Sep 23, 2007)

Generally Mantids can be sexed by the amount of abdominal sections they have. Males have 8 and females have 6. It is also possible to sex mantids while they are still nymphs using the same technique.



















Females can also be much larger in some species, as in this Budwing mantis (Parasphendale Agrionina) 











The abdomen in females is also wider but this is not always so noticeable.

nb, the first 2 pics are by courtesy of Techuser

also worth noting is the general difference in body shape between males and females. as adults females tend to be stockier, wider, fatter, but this can also be seen in nymphs (more pronounced the older they are) but is only really noticeable when you have both genders to compare side by side, or if you are familiar with both genders from past experience.. 

some species such as _Phyllocrania paradoxa_ can be sexed by looking at their horns/crowns/protrusions on their heads. the females have shorter, wider protrusions that are usually quite flat, with not much curl to them. sometimes the tip of the protrusions is not a flat edge, but rather dips in the middle a little, causing a sort of flat subtle "V" shape in females. in males the protrusions are longer, thinner, and have alot more curl/intricacy to them. also at their tip, there is a pronounced "V" shaped, with two obvious points. this photo by macro junkie should give a generla idea:









(female on the left, male on the right)

in _Hestiasula_ _brunneriana_, the female will develop a "horn" on the forehead as she gets older, and it will grow to become quite pronounced as a subadult/adult. the males will never really develop a full horn, it remains merely a small bump even as adults. this can also be said for _Hymenopus coronatus, _as shown in this photo taken by macro junkie Flickr: Scott Thompson aka macrojunkie's Photostream:


(male on the left, female on the right)

some species have protrusions at the edges of the segments on the underside of the mantis (_Pseudocreobotra, Idolomantis) _which can help be useful for sexing nymphs, as the males will have one more protrusion than females, usually a tiny last one near the tip of the abdomen (at the end of the 6th segment). using this method, nymphs of these species can be sexed as young as second instar (certainly with _Idolomantis_ as it is so large even at second instar, though probably also with _Pseudocrebotra_ if you could see that close).

also in general, the wings of adult males tend to extend well past the tip of the abdomen, while those of the female extend less so past the tip, some are even shorter than the abdomen (_Gongylus gongylodes_ for example), while further still some adult females have "bud"/vestigial wings (_Iris_ _sp_, _Parasphendale_ sp for example) where the males said species have full wings.

last visual difference i can think of is the antennae. in general, males have longer, thicker antennae then the females of the same species. the difference is clear as adults, though can also be seen in older nymphs. in some species, (including but i dont think [not really sure, can anyone think of other examples? i have not kept any other species that display this but then i have not kept alot of species] limited to those from the _Empusidae_ family such as _Blepharopsis, Gongylus, Idolomantis)_ the males have "feathery" moth-like antennae, while the females have shorter, simpler antennae, such as in this photo:


(female on the left, male on the right)


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## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

andie said:


> Generally Mantids can be sexed by the amount of abdominal sections they have. Males have 8 and females have 6. It is also possible to sex mantids while they are still nymphs using the same technique.
> 
> image
> 
> ...


 
This should be turned into a thread and stickied :2thumb:


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## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

Biggys said:


> This should be turned into a thread and stickied :2thumb:


I was just about to say that, great post, thanks so much for the info 

Edit: I also got my first Mantis little over a week ago (Creobroter gemmatus) & have seen people using the a couple of terms I don't understand, e.g. L4 & 1st instar & whatnot, can anyone be a dictionary for me? Just tried sexing mine by counting the sections, I had to use a magnifying glass but I counted 5 so I'm going with female.


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## billsy (Nov 29, 2008)

Definatly sounds like i've got a girl then! :2thumb:

Andie, that was an excellent read and thanks for the info!!:no1:


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## billsy (Nov 29, 2008)

The Rook said:


> I also got my first Mantis little over a week ago (Creobroter gemmatus) & have seen people using the a couple of terms I don't understand, e.g. L4 & 1st instar & whatnot, can anyone be a dictionary for me?


I think that L4 and instar are the same thing? they both refer to how many moults it has had (4th moult would be L4/4th instar) think it just depends on which term you prefer to use:lol2:


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## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

Ah, well I got mine from TSS & it mounted the day it was delivered. I think it said on there what it was, but I don' remember, though I was told it was about 3-4 weeks old when I got it, so she'll be about 5 weeks old now. I don't know how often the moult either. Now I know mine is female I've settled on a name; Ruby


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## andie (Sep 23, 2007)

L = Larven which is the European way of saying at which stage or stadium of growth a mantis is at, in England Instar is prefered but either way is acceptable depeding on who you speak to ..
I should say that the pics i posted are from Scot ( MJ ) myself, mr blue and Techuser


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## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

Cheers. Also another quation on mantids; Why is it that the younger ones have their abdomens curled up as if reaching toward the back of the head, while in photos of latger ones their abdomen are always flat out straight? Thanks


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## andie (Sep 23, 2007)

Urrrmmm,,,,got absolutly no idea :lol2:


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## Reatavlos (Sep 3, 2015)

I am pretty sure it has to be because of the wings, since they would probably not allow the body to bend backwards when they are put together almost over the whole body length.


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