I know that an unmated female will still produce an ootheca, though infertile. My question is, do the "virgins" continue to produce multiple egg cases as their fertile sisters do, or do they stop at one? (These wild-caught, back yard mantids... sometimes you just don't know where they've been!)
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Egg production in an unmated female
buglady
Oct 11, 2004 08:45 PM
Replies (2)
kungfu2811
Oct 11, 2004 09:06 PM
They will continue to lay oothecae, wheather they have been mated or not.
ChrisT
Oct 12, 2004 03:52 AM
A female will continue to lay egg cases for as long as she lives, reguardless of wether she's mated or not. There is however one species that doesn't need to mate in order to make fertile oothecas. The Brunner's Mantis, Brunneria Borealis, actually has NO males in that species. The females are born fertile! This species is native to the US, and is very slender and elongate, and usually green.
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