Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)
Size
Females up to 6cm (2.5in)
Males up to 5.5cm (2in)
Moisture
35-50% humidity, can tolerate higherSpray daily or every other day
Temperature
22-27°C (72-80°F)
Prefers room temp or warmer, tolerates as low as 65°F.
Sexing
A trained eye can sex Ghosts by their crown at i2. Sexually dimorphic crown differences are easily distinguished at i3. Males will have a longer, more jagged crest, and females a rounder and wider one. Females have 6 abdominal segments, and males have 8.
Lifespan
After molting to adult, females will last 6-8 months. Males generally last only 2-4 months. Lifespans can often vary due to things such as diet, rate of feeding, and temperature. The colder it is, the slower they grow.
Instars
Both males and females mature at i8 and molt 7 times after hatching.
Feeding
Ghosts can be finicky and prefer flying prey. Fast roaches are also easy to feed with. Offer food when the abdomen is thin. Do not feed on a schedule.
- i1: Fruit flies (D. melanogaster)
- i2-i3: Fruit flies (D. melanogaster & D. hydei), micro roaches
- i4-i6: Fruit flies (D. hydei), house flies, small roaches, small waxmoths
- i6-i8: House flies, greenbottle/bluebottle flies, small/medium roaches, waxmoths, small/medium grasshoppers
Enclosure
Zilla enclosures work well if properly modified with mesh. Make sure any added mesh is taut and not loose. DIY setups are also popular because of this. When making a setup, try to add cross ventilation. When decorating your setup, avoid clutter and low hanging branches to prevent mismolts. Enclosures should be at least 2 times as wide as the mantis is long and 3 times as tall as the mantis is long. This will give them space to molt.
Here are some guidelines:
- i1-i3: 5.5oz deli container
- i4-i6: 16oz deli container or larger
- i6-i8: 32oz deli container or larger
Breeding
About 3 weeks after maturing to adulthood a female should be ready to breed. 2 weeks after molting a male should be ready. Sexual cannabalism is rare, but can happen.
Females are ooth printing presses once paired. They will lay around 10-13 ootheca, generally laying one every other week. Depending on size, each ootheca could hatch anywhere from 5-40 nymphs.
Other Information
This species of mantis may drastically change colors between molts. Ghosts also can and will play dead. Sudden movements may cause them to drop to the ground. Sometimes they are very convincing in their death feining, but most times they'll still grab right onto your finger and seemingly pop back to life like nothing happened.