Orchid mantis mating
The first time I tried pairing up the orchid mantis it gave me a real shock to see the adult male tapping violently on the female’s wing. I
was thinking that is one crazy commit-suicide minded male. So I removed the male (with lot of effort as male clung tightly to the
female) and labeled on the container lid a big cross with parenthesis ‘nut’! Soon all the male containers were labeled with ‘nut’ on the
container’s lid and I wonder if I would ever find a sane adult male. That was almost 4 years ago when little information was ever
posted for this species of mantis. It was kind of embarrassing when I think of it now. Sure enough I eventually found out this is the
mating ‘ritual’ for the pair, but not without sweat and uneasy nights wondering if all I could see the next day is dismembered body parts
of the male lying on the cage bottom, or the male just simply vanished!
I soon gave it up and leave both male and female together and left to their own devices. It was quite interesting as I kept hearing
tapping sounds but too afraid to check it out. I remember seeing most of the male finally connected with the females the second day
but the tapping sounds continue, making me to believe that this is possibly the way an adult male is trying to send the message to the
adult female about his attention.
As we all know, Sexual dimorphism on orchid mantis is a big subject. Male is so much smaller to female in size that a male simply
doesn’t has the chance if being caught under female’s seemingly humongous forelegs.
I have also noticed that not all males are desperate in mating. Evolution has probably taught the male to select a female that appear
full and round in abdomen before approaching her to stand the best chance of surviving, or he would just be the female’s snack.
However, when female is receptive and male is drumming on female’s wing, good chance that it will be a successful mating. The
male will continue to drum even when he has connected with the female.
Following is a short movie clip of male drumming on female’s wing.
