How to determine if the ooth fertile
How can I tell if my praying mantis ooth is fertile? It’s a big question and even the most experienced people are rarely sure.
Determining whether an ooth is fertile within 100% certainties is difficult. Short of it hatching out nymphs of course being definitive.
There are some ways that I use which can help. Infertility can be decided by some obvious factors.
- Lone female of species not known for parthenogenesis (self reproduction)
- Ootheca is malformed, size, color, shape and form are irregular. It takes some experience and knowledge of the species of ooth your examining and not always clearly seen.
- The amount of time for that species of ooth to incubate has long expired.
- Visually some species have translucent qualities and embryo development may be seen by a trained eye.
- By examining the ooth surgically or microscopically. Opening an ooth isn’t recommended, there will be some loos of embryos, and if done improperly can damage and kill all of it.
This is a fertile ooth. Even though it was cut open only a few of the cells with embryos were destroyed, the rest of the ooth can still hatch and so with white paper glue on the foam area and the perimeter it can be resealed
Breaking open the ooth is an extreme test, however if it is something you want to try in order to salvage it if prematurely done and you find it to be fertile, you can slice a clean straight cut with razor to the end open approximately 1/2” or 1cm to evaluate whether it is fertile. If there are cells with living embryos in it then carefully put it back in place and glue it best as possible with white paper glue (Elmer’s) or equivalent carefully glue it around the perimeter avoiding the ‘seam’ or hatch line where the embryos would
Shown above here closing ooth once examined with paste.
See below resealing neatly for viability
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orchid mantis evolutionary research
The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) transitions from black-and-red to pink-white coloration during development, a shift driven by the Redboy pigment transporter. This transition serves different ecological functions: red coloration helps hatchlings mimic stink bugs for predator avoidance, while the pink-white coloration of older nymphs provides floral camouflage for both predator avoidance and prey attraction. The Redboy transporter, upregulated by ecdysone, facilitates this shift by exporting red pigments in early stages and importing white pigments in later stages.
Evolutionary Basis:
Redboy's Role:
The Redboy transporter, a novel ABCG transporter, arose by gene family expansion and positive selection, specifically to handle the transition from red to white coloration, according to research on Nature.
Hormonal Regulation:
The hormone ecdysone regulates Redboy, ensuring the pigment transition happens at the appropriate developmental stage, according to research on ResearchGate.
Genetic Adaptation:
The evolutionary changes in Redboy have allowed orchid mantises to adapt their body color to different life stages and ecological niches.
Ecological Functions:
Aposematic Mimicry (Hatchlings):
The initial black-and-red coloration serves as a warning signal, mimicking the appearance of stink bugs, which are known to be distasteful or toxic to predators.
Camouflage (Older Nymphs):
The pink-white coloration provides floral camouflage, helping the mantis blend in with flowers and avoid detection by predators.
Prey Attraction:
The flower-like appearance also attracts unsuspecting prey, such as small insects, to their location, enhancing the mantis's hunting success.
In summary, the orchid mantis's body color transition is a fascinating example of ontogenetic camouflage and adaptive evolution, where the color changes throughout the mantis's life serve distinct ecological roles in where the color changes throughout the mantis's life serve distinct ecological roles in predator avoidance and prey attraction.
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Mantis fly Mantispidae, very special insect
Mantispidae, they don’t sting! 