Baby Peacock?

deepboy · #1 07/04/2007, 10:52 AM

I have a so called peacock Mantis about 3" long but he does not have the yellows and blues like a peacock just red on the tale fin and the rest of him is olive green and he doesn't have the leopard spots on the back like the Peacocks, But the LFS sold him to me as a Peacock and swears that it is 100% peacock and that its just to small to tell! Can anyone show me a pic of a 3" Peacock? And do thay always have the colors and spots when even small??

mattyice · #2 07/04/2007, 11:01 AM

they should have leopard spots on their raps once they are that size, the look like tiny adults once they hit 1.5"-2" easily, if you could post a pic we could see

Pea-brain · #3 07/04/2007, 11:02 AM

They have a near adult coloration at almost all ages. There are a few differences in the males, but the lack of leapord spots give it away. If you want to find out species get a pic of the telson (tail) up close, a top view, and a pic of the meral spots (small strange colored indentations on the inside of the smashing "arms") If you can't get a pic of the meral spots, but catch a glimpse of them tell us the color and we might be able to ID it, or at least narrow it down. Also Roy's list (sticky on top) is your friend!

Dan

DanInSD · #4 07/04/2007, 12:23 PM

Hmmm... could be a G. ternatensis from the description. What color are the meral spots? Are there red lines in between the body segments?

A picture would be definitive.

Dan

deepboy · #5 07/04/2007, 01:10 PM

Sorry I know this is hard but I have no pic's and no way of taking one now, Also he has closed himself in his home to molt I'm guessing. Last time he closed himself in his hole to molt was June 5TH and didn't come out until the June 22 almost three weeks! Any way the only thing that I can see on his arms I'm guessing what you call his raps? Have a leopard appearance to them the tip of his club's are white, have not seen any lines between his body segments, His antenna's are red and the tips of his tail fin's are red. He has a little bit of white speckle on his back but not the big spot's like a peacock and also no other colors like the other rainbow colors

deepboy · #6 07/04/2007, 01:22 PM

I beleave it may be G.Chiragra third picture down kind of looks like him but with a tipped red tail fine, Deffinetly not a Peacock mantis!

DanInSD · #7 07/04/2007, 01:23 PM

Check Roy's list. Peacock mantis are very distinctive, and they do have leopard spots and species-definitive coloration as early as 2". My guess is that if there is any doubt, it's NOT a peacock.

Olive green with red tail fin could be a female G. chiragra. That also seems to match the molt time, which is long for this animal. They are also pretty reclusive.

justinl · #8 07/04/2007, 02:49 PM

i would tentatively support the ID of G. chiragra but to be honest, doing an ID on nothing but a description is never a good idea unless there are characteristics that really stand out (like pure yellow = P.ciliata).

at any rate, it's not a peacock. dont worry too much abou the lfs being "100% sure"... because they never are. they sell it as whatever the collector labels it as. it's not unheard of for an lfs to try selling a pistol shrimp as a mantis. one lfs tried selling me a ghost shrimp as a mantis... needless to say i flipped.

deepboy · #9 07/04/2007, 07:40 PM

I had always thought that it may be G.Chiragra since after I bought it and after finding Roy's list I told the LFS that I beleave the one they sold me was not a peacock he told me he would look into it and then a couple of weeks later said he was 100% sure it was a peacock becuase some guy who was in his store told him it was but just to small to tell! DanInSD how do you know that it's a female and not a Male G.Chiragra do females only have the red tale?

DanInSD · #10 07/04/2007, 08:30 PM

Males and females both have tales, I'm sure, but the females have pink tails. An important distinction.

Here's a pic:

http://www.mpro-ject.de/fangi/Gonoda...ra-IMG2319.jpg

Look familiar?
Dan

deepboy · #11 07/05/2007, 10:14 AM

I guess mine to be male since it is more dark in green and red but it also doesn't have any red on his raptorial app's like the one in the pic above!

Kati · #12 07/05/2007, 09:55 PM

yeah would definately believe that it was a g. chiragra... especially after how long it took to molt. The G. chirara is a very hard shelled species to it takes them a lot of time to molt. I have one and he is not as social as some, but I think he is great. He is more aggressive than most mantis's and very smart.

DanInSD · #13 07/06/2007, 01:39 PM

Got a picture yet?

deepboy · #14 07/06/2007, 02:55 PM

No, But I myself am 100% sure it is G.Chiragra from all the picture's I've seen! The ones on Roy's list really dosn't look like him except for maybe the third picture down but he is a G.chiragra without a doubt, Thanks for your help. Now how do I sex them besides looking for color?

Ms. K · #15 07/06/2007, 08:23 PM

Check out stomatopod sex pics link at the top of the forum. That might help. Look at his underside, under the abdomen. If you see a pair of small "sticks" that stick inward, it is male. If you see two small holes or no sticks, it is female. I believe these are located near the third pair of walking legs, but don't quote me.