Occurrence

Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo

Size

• Male: 6.5 - 7 cm
• Female : 7.5 - 8 cm

Length of life

• Male: 9 months (2 months as imago) / about 7 lines
• Female : 14 months (7 months as imago) / approx. 8 lines

Temperature

• Day: 27-30 ° C
• Night: ~ 20 ° C

Humidity

• Day: 70-80%
• Night: 60-70%
• Tip: Gentle spraying every evening is enough to ensure proper humidity in the terrarium

Terrarium

Size : For females, 20x20x30 cm tall. For nymphs, any smaller containers whose height will be at least three times the length of a praying mantis . The width of the container should be at least two and preferably three times the length of the mantis . Ensure adequate ventilation, do not allow for the situation in which water vapor will collect on the walls of the container

Decor : Tropical. Ensure a large number of branches and leaves. In addition, the terrarium walls can be covered with a cork or fragments of dried bark.
Substrate : paper towels, peat, vermiculite

Nourishment

For L1 / 2 Drosophila hydei flies are enough , in later stages they hunt for flies with pins, small moths, crickets, cockroaches . For adults, the best foods are locusts , large cockroaches , crickets, and woodwaters

Group breeding

I do not recommend it because of strong cannibalism. However, with the right size of terrarium, you can afford to keep these mantis in stages L1-5 in groups. You have to take into account losses resulting from cannibalism despite the constant access to food insects. Above L5 should be prayed mantis due to differences in the size of males and females.
The L1-3 group culture can be carried out in a braplast container with dimensions of 185x185x190 mm.

Sexual dimorphism

Male: Long wings protruding beyond the abdomen, slender body , long antennae, 8 segments on the underside of the abdomen, pronotum broad - half-length narrowing towards the abdomen.

Female : Large abdomen with short wings, short antennae, 6 segments on the underside of the abdomen, broadly pronotum, broad throughout its entire length. The shape of the female pronotum can be compared to the letter "M".

Tip: Gender recognition based on the construction of pronotum can start with L3 , with L4 the differences are already very clear.

Multiplication

Sexual maturity

Imago individuals are ready for reproduction at the age of 2-3 weeks (male) and 4-6 weeks (females).

Copulation time

About 10 hours.

Copulation process

Females need 4-6 weeks after the last moult to start breeding. During these first weeks as an imago, the female must increase her body weight to produce the eggs needed to assemble the first cocoon. After about 4 weeks you can see the female "Calling behavior", meaning nothing else like "calling" or signaling to a male that he is ready for breeding. Too early admission of a male to an immature female may cause the female to treat the male as food . After 6 weeks of reaching adulthood, you can try to allow a male to the female. For this purpose, it is best to translate the male to the terrariumfemale about 10-15 cm away from the female. The male should be set up so that his eyes and tentacles are directed at the female's abdomen. As a factor that positively influences breeding behavior, the fan turns on the minimum speed - the air movement makes the male gently move, which causes more interest in the male. After a successful jump, the copulation takes about 10 hours and the male leaves.

Ootheca

• First: about 3-4 days after copulation
• Another: every 3-4 weeks
• Number: about 7-10 pieces
• Appearance: Oval cocoon about 1-2 cm long, after folding yellow, later brown
• Incubation : 25-30 ° C, humidity 80-90% (daily spraying), 6-7 weeks
• The number of larvae: from 20 to 60, on average about 30 pieces
• Tips: After the 4th cocoon you should allow the females again to be sure that subsequent cocoons will contain fertilized eggs.

Larvae

• Size: 12 mm
• Appearance: brown, resembling older individuals, wide pronotum.
• Feed : L1 hunt D. hydei, young can be fed already a few hours after hatching. Remember to have good ventilation.

Comments

Deroplatys desiccata is an easy-to-maintain species, but in order to ensure appropriate conditions, you should already have experience with other, easier species of mantis. A characteristic feature of species of the genus Deroplatys spp. Is a broad pronotum (pronotum) which rose than the species to species. In an emergency situation, they use the "pretend to be dead" tactic, consisting in lying on the back with the legs tucked up. On the other hand, individuals use the defensive position, which is based on the effective distribution of gripping legs and wings.