(Spiny Flower Mantis, #9 Mantis)
Psuedocreobotra wahlbergii, also known as the #9 Mantis, is a very beautiful flower mantis from Africa. It gets its common name from the marking on its back resembling a number 9, or 6 depending on how you look at it.
This is an easy mantis to keep, even for beginners. I have not had too much trouble keeping these. They seem to have very strong “claws” for their size, which enables them to tackle large prey.
I have been keeping this species for years. It was actually one of the first few exotic sp. that I started breeding. They are not picky eaters, nor do they have too many problems. A few things I must mention though is that too high of a humidity without proper ventilation could easly mean death for them. They are very prone to fungal infections. As long as your careful about the humidity, that shouldn’t be an issue. Also, as with most other flower mantids, the #9 mantids do not take well to bad crickets. I am always weary about feeding crickets to my mantids unless I have been raising them myself for at least a week.
Breeding #9 mantids use to be a bit tough for me. The males would almost always have trouble staying out of the claws of the females. I have since learned that it is best to wait about 3 weeks rather than 2 before introducing the male. The females are usually far more receptive by then.
Below you will find a few pics of #9 mantids at various stages that I have kept and bred. Enjoy!