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Posts Tagged: ootheca
A 'Star' Is Born and Then....
We rarely see an adult praying mantis until late summer or fall. Their offspring are out there, though. And sometimes we see life go full...
First-instar praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by UC Davis praying mantis expert and entomology student Lohit Garikpati. Photograph taken May 13 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How tiny is the first-instar? This tiny. And that's a red spider mite that crawled onto the dime. Note the chunk of abdomen missing on the first-instar--probably due to sibling cannibalism. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This was a very gravid mantis, Stagmomantis limbata on Sept. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mama mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, depositing an ootheca or egg case on a redwood stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Henrietta and the Ootheca
Talk about the unexpected. “Look!” says Jim. He pauses by the kitchen counter. "Over there!” he says, pointing. I don't see...
Henrietta, a Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out in a patch of Mexican sunflowers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is the ootheca that Henrietta (which means "home ruler") deposited before we released her. The species? Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the ootheca, magnified with a Leica DVM6 microscope operated by Lynn Epstein, UC Davis emeritus professor of plant pathology.
Ooh, an Ootheca!
Hide and seek. She hides 'em and we seek 'em. We've spotted as many as seven adult praying mantids at a time in our little pollinator garden in...
Ms. Mantis, on a redwood stake in a milkweed planter in Vacaville, Calif., is trying to find a place to lay her egg mass, an ootheca. This image was taken Sunday night, Sept. 23. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This looks like a good spot. This praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, is native to North America. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ms. Mantis begins to work. Note the frothy cream-colored substance. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the process. This Stagmomantis limbata did so in the open. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
At dawn the next morning, we found her still on the stake with her hardening ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Surprise! A Little Brown Package in the UC Davis Arboretum
Surprise! Surprise! You never know what you'll see when you're strolling through the 100-acre UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, a treasure to...
A praying mantis egg case or ootheca, clings to a Mexican grass tree, Dasylirion longissimum, in the UC Davis Arboreum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
From a distance, the ootheca on the Mexican grass tree can easily be spotted--if you're looking for it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The ootheca or praying mantis egg case above is probably the work of a Stagmomantis limbata, like this one, shown here feasting on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The World of Praying Mantids: A Question Posed, A Question Answered
Last summer you may have happened upon praying mantids mating. Hopefully, the male didn't lose his head. Which begs a question asked by a reader:...
Mating pair of Stagmomantis limbata, a common mantis in Vacaville, Calif. The male did not lose his head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mating pair of mega mantids, Plistospilota guineensis. These mantids are part of Andrew Pfeifer's collection in Monroe County, N.C. See the result below! (Photo by Andrew Pfeifer)
Praying mantis authority Andrew Pfeifer, who administers the public Facebook page, Mantis Keepers, captured this image of his Plistospilota guineensis ootheca. It's about the size of a large chicken egg. (Photo by Andrew Pfeifer)
