Creobroter gemmatus (Westwood, 1889) –
jeweled flower Mantis

Introduction

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Creobroter are one of the most amazing flower mantises kept in the hobby. Despite their tiny size, they will willingly go after prey that seems much too large for them. They are powerful for their size, and are very good eaters. They are pollinator specialists, and are able to match color even within an instar to the foliage they are surrounded by often being completely green in the wild. As a result, they are nearly invisible to the prey they feed upon.

 

When encountering other individuals of the same species, they will raise their arms and flash their bright abdomen color patch, indicating that tbey are not a threat and to back off. This helps avoid conflict amongst individuals, and is one of the reason why these mantises are able to be kept communally when young!

 

This genus can run and jump incredibly quickly, so its important when handling to have space and be able to easily see the mantis if it jumps. They are quite fast when they want to be! Creobroter is full of small but hardy mantises that can be kept in a small space, making them ideal for beginners. Their gorgeous wings are truly jewels, earning them the name jeweled flower mantises. The bright red with black foremargins are put on full display when threatened or when flying, and are amazing to see every time.

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Sexing

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As with all mantises, males have 8 external sternites, and females have 6.

 

Keeping

 

Creobroter can be kept communally until i5 provided enough space and feeders. After this molt males and females will diverge in size, and separating is recommended. Both males and females have 7 molts.

 

Recommended space is as follows:

 

Instar 1 – 4: 8 oz Deli Cup

Instar 3 – Adult: 32 oz Deli Cup

 

Using the metric above, an appropriate amount of space should be provided for communal setups to minimalize cannibalism.

 

Feeding

 

Instar 1 - 3  – Drosophila species

Instar 4 – Adult – Houseflies, Blue bottle flies, Small Crickets, Roaches

 

Breeding

 

Creobroter are relatively easy to mate, though some females are incredibly aggressive. Both males and females will be ready to mate around 2 – 3 weeks after their final molt. It is important to feed both the male and female thoroughly. Standard mantis mating practices will suffice for this genus. Place the male on a surface and give him some time to calm down. Place he female around 6 – 8 inches away from him and prod her to move. Once the male sees the female he will watch her carefully and attempt to get in a position to mount. Its important to feed the female during this time, as females are very aggressive.

 

After mating the female will lay anywhere from 6 – 12 oothecae over her lifetime around every 2 weeks. Females prefer to lay on sticks of possible, but they are not picky at all. After a period of 3 – 5 weeks incubation, around 20 – 40 nymphs will hatch per oothecae. At this size they will be able to eat only Drosophila melanogaster.