P paradoxa Ghost mantis All colors SALE

GHOST Mantis Phyllocrainia (leaf head) Paradoxa

The most wanted and most beautiful praying mantis species available upon the market. Ghosts are one of the few species that are communal. They can be kept together without eating each other.  They are especially useful for pest control in grow rooms and greenhouse or tent environments as naturally eating the most common and prevalent pests in these environments. See this article regarding marijuana growers ... 

You can buy 1 or a discounted 4-pack or NEW breeding group 10-pack!

Care Sheet

Phyllocrania paradoxa, a common name ghost mantis, is a small species of mantis from Africa remarkable for its leaf-like body. It is one of the three species in the genus Phyllocrania.
Description

Compared to many other praying mantises, the ghost mantis is a "medium-size" growing to about 45 to 50 millimeters (1.8 to 2.0 in) long.

It comes in various brownish shades from very dark brown (almost black) to greenish-gray. And I breed these that can be bright green

An individual's colors change between molts and are also dependent on light and humidity levels.

Phyllocrania paradoxa is camouflaged so as to appear as dead, dried-up leaf material. It has an elongated head, a flattened, extended prothorax (together referred to as its "elaborate headdress and shoulder shields" by one enthusiast), and leaf-like protrusions from its limbs. The mantis also has a forewing that looks like a desiccated leaf, and the "creases" in the wings are actually shadings of pigment.

P. paradoxa oothecae can hatch out up to three dozen young. 1st and 2nd instar nymphs of this species are dark-colored and use ant mimicry as a defense.
Sexual Dimorphism

As with most or all species of mantis, Phyllocrania paradoxa is sexually dimorphic, with females being larger than males. Females have six abdominal segments. Males are shorter, narrower, and have eight-segmented abdomens. At the 5th instar and above males are thinner than females and have smaller appendages (lateral of the abdomen). At the 6th instar and above their crowns are different. When adults, males have longer and thicker antennae than females and have transparent wings, which are longer than the abdomen and are good flyers and are significantly thinner than the females. At the 5th instar and above females are more compact than males and have bigger appendages. At the 6th instar and above the crown of females are as wide as their head and more line and smoother than the male`s crown. When adult, females are significantly more compact than the male with shorter antennae and the wings cover the abdomen.
Range

Phyllocrania paradoxa has a wide range across the African continent and its islands and can be found in Angola, Cameroon, Cape Province, Congo basin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Transvaal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It is also found in South Europe.
Habitat

Ghost Mantis inhabit dry areas, bushes, shrubs, trees in the open.
In captivity

The ghost mantis is one of the most popular species of mantis in the mantis hobby because it looks good, is very easy to keep, it is relatively long-lived, and are not very aggressive toward each other unlike many praying mantises so older nymphs can be kept together without a problem and they should be separated around pre-sub-adult. Female ghost mantises can live up to eight months as adults while males live a much shorter life.

• ---

• Temperature: Day 24 - 30 °C, 75-86 F, night room temperature
• Relative humidity: Day 60 - 70 %, night 80 - 90 %
• Recommended min. size of terrarium WxDxH:  20 x 20 x 30 cm 7.9x7.9x12in.
•   Aggressive against each other: Middle
• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Biology

  ---

•   Molts until fully grown: Female ~8 (adult in L9), male ~6 (adult in L7)
• Sexually mature after the last molt: Female 3-4 weeks, male ~1 week
• Duration of development inside the ootheca: ~6 weeks
• Hatching rate: 20 to over 30 Nymphs possible
• More

  ---

• Feeding recommendation
  L1: Small Fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster
  L2: Small and Big fruit flies Drosophila hydei and Drosophila melanogaster
  
  L3: Big fruit flies Drosophila hydei (sometimes even Greenbottle flies Lucilia sp.)
  
  L4/L5: Greenbottle flies Lucilia sp.
  L6 to L8: Greenbottle flies Lucilia sp. and Bluebottle flies Calliphora sp.
  adult: Bluebottle flies Calliphora sp.