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Determining Gender
Sexual Dimorphism and Sub-Species all play a roll in what your mantis will look like.
Boy or Girl?
The gender of a mantis will determine many things about them as they grow and mature.
The overall size and appearance can vary greatly in a process called sexual dimorphism. Females as adults are typically larger and more robust while males will be slimmer, with longer wings, and can have thick and long antennae. Some species the difference in size can be quite drastic, such as yellow and white orchid mantids males who are around 1/3rd the size of the adult females.
Determining sex of nymphs can be difficult as both genders look nearly identical in early instars, only gaining different traits or sizes as they reach their later instars. When first hatched all will be the same size, color, and shape.
Some species like spiny flower mantis are nearly identical all throughout their life and even into adult with only a slight size difference between males and females.
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How to tell the difference
Males and females of nearly every instar have a key difference in the number of sternites (the number of segments) visible on the underside of the abdomen. Males will have 8 segments while females will have only 6.
This can be hard to see on smaller species until they reach later instars. A good quality magnifying glass or head piece can be the only way to determine sex of early instars.
The females will also have a inverted V shape at the tip of their last sternite that will become more pronounced as they grow. As adults male will develop a inverted "cup" shape to their final sternite.
Female
Females will have 6 segments with the 6th being larger than the others.
male
Males will have 8 segments with a more narrow abdomen and a scoop shape to the last segment
Sub-Species
The order of Mantodea has over 2,400 species in about 460 genera with 33 families. In those species there are a number of sub species with just a few difference characteristics, but are still considered the same species. In the mantis hobby species are limited but some subspecies can be found mixed between breeders.
Within the orchid mantis there are at least two variations. They have yet to be described as separate subspecies or species, yet are unable to interbreed. The Indonesian and the Malaysian variation differ in size and have slight color differences. If you are interested in breeding mantids you will need to know which kind you have for viable oothecas.
Another example are the Parablepharis kuhlii, which have two described subspecies; Parablepharis kuhlii kuhlii and the Parablepharis kuhlii asiatica found in different regions of China with a third variation found in Malaysia not yet described as a subspecies. Kuhlii and asiatica can interbreed with mixed results in offspring vitality.
