Tarachodula pantherina “Panther praying mantis”
$34.00 - $47.50
Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya.
Aggressive hunters with thick strong arms. Adults about 2" in length. Like to stay on bark or branches.
Drosophila, bluebottle flies, mealworms.
TEMPERATURE:78-88F / 26-31C (DAY) 70-75F / 21-24C (NIGHT)
HUMIDITY: 60-70%, higher at night
DIFFICULTY: Medium
COLORS: Brown and tan with a red underside. Stripes on the sides of the abdomen. The checkered pattern on the back.
ORIGIN: Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia)
SIZE: Small - Female (2in / 5cm) Male (1.5in / 4cm)
BEHAVIOR: This species must have a stick to live on. One that is big enough that they can safely rest on it and hold on to it. If the post is too small it won’t work. Not picky eaters, aggressive eaters. Curious. Loves to use your finger like a stick.
LIFESPAN: Female up to 1.5 years, male up to 1 year.
*Depends on temps, feeding, and other conditions.
MOLTING: Females become adult at L8, males L7 (7 molts / 6 molts)
SEXING: In general: 8 visible sternites (ventral segments) in males, and 6 in females. Adult males have full-length wings. Females have tiny wing buds.
FEEDER L1/2: Small fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) (Drosophila hydei)
FEEDER L3/4 Big fruit flies (Drosophila hydei),
FEEDER L5/6 Bottle Flies