PRAYING MANTIDS — GURNEY 353 



species of a family (Phoridae) that often are scavengers. During 

 rains my cultures had become wet, and contamination by these flies 

 probably occurred at that time. Other little flies (Itonididae) may 

 have been in microscopic galls on the plant stems; at least they do not 

 appear to be normal parasites of mantid eggs. 



These experiences demonstrate the problems that arise in determin- 

 ing which insects associated wdth mantid eggs are true i^rimary para- 

 sites, and the ease with which snap judgments could lead to quite in- 

 correct conclusions regarding host-parasite relationships. 



Relatively little information is available on insect predators that 

 attack nymphs and adults of mantids. In some countries large wasps, 

 perhaps related to those which provision their nests with cockroaches, 

 evidently prey on mantids, but I have no data on such habits among 

 American wasps. A very few instances have come to my attention of 

 large parasitic flesh flies {Sarcophaga and Mmitidophaga) emerging 

 from the bodies of dying mantids. These may have been true para- 

 sites, developing from eggs or larvae attached to the mantid by the 

 mother fly, after the manner of certain flies that parasitize grass- 

 hoppers. One case is reported (Rose wall, 1924) in which 10 fully 

 grown maggots of Sarcophaga crawled from the body of an adult fe- 

 male of the Carolina mantis. The mantis was dying, but the observer 

 noticed that when near death the mantid's head moved, and he dis- 

 covered that a maggot had crawled through the tubular prothorax 

 and into the head ! Most of the maggots were in tke abdomen. They 

 broke out of the body, crawled into soil that was provided, pupated, 

 and later emerged as adult flies. Other cases (Gahan, 1915) include 

 three Mantidophaga maggots emerging from a Carolina mantis that 

 previously had a hole in the side of the abdomen, suggesting that an 

 injury may have become maggot-infested. 



REARING 



Many people inquire about the possibility of hatching mantids 

 from eggs in order to watch them grow to maturity. Large mantids 

 found outdoors late in summer may be easily kept, usually for several 

 weeks, by confining them in a glass jar closed with screening or netting, 

 or in a box with light entering one or more sides. Several small sticks 

 leaning against the sides of the jar or box, to serve as supports, are 

 important. A small potted house plant placed in a cage provides a 

 vei-y good environment for a mantid. House flies, blue-bottle flies, 

 grasshoppers, and many other kinds of insects may be introduced alive 

 into the cage to serve as food. Mealworm larvae or tiny pieces of un- 

 cooked liver, hamburger, or frankfurter may be fed by hand, if held 

 to the insect's mouth until the food is noticed, A captive Chinese man- 

 tid I kept was fond of Japanese-beetle grubs. When a grub was held 

 to its mouth, the mantid would begin feeding at once and usually reach 



