ÖS Bulletin de la Société Eutomologuiue d'Egypte 



Accordine; lo Pagknstkchiìu (l(Sß4-()5), Mantis reli- 

 giosa has scM'u iiìoulls, or eight il' the shedding ol" the 

 shealh whieli the eiiìhrvo leaves at the time ol' hatching 

 is i-eekoned as a nioull. 



According to the \ ei y exaclobservations of M Adaiu 

 (1914-1."), p, 911), the I'^gyptian Mantis, Sphodronutiilis 

 hioculdhi. l)iKM. has sonieiitnes (S and sometimes 9 

 monlls in either sex, \vithont connling the liberation 

 of the newly hatched larva. 



Three larval monlts weie ol)ser\ed by !]. An.xin 

 in I'^gypt Cor each of three specimens of /-J. cgciui 

 between the date ol" hatching (Sept. ](i, lUlli) and the 

 dates ol' death (Oct. 28, 1913, January 10 and 24, 1914, 

 i-espectively ). 



The lar\al moults of my specimens bred at Aix 

 wei'e wider apart. .ludging by the nnmbei- of cast skins 

 found in the cages, there were only two moults between 

 [he lime of hatching and the end ol' the vear, and two 



were obtained between April 21 si and May 2()lh and seven 

 other feniales from May 2nd to •23rd. Three other females 

 captured in the field were added, making a total of eleven 

 females. 



Population was observed between the 2 Ist of May and 

 the Sid of June. All the males were dead by tlie l/lli of June, 

 while a few females lived during July and August, tlie last 

 till the Dili of September. 



Some of the females laid egg-eases, of which the largesl 

 was 18 mm. long and contained à2 egg cells, (counted on a 

 section, arranged in 3 or 4 rows), ten were from <S to 10 mm. 

 long, and live were very small, abortive, containing only a 

 very few egg cells. Owing to the debility of llie males bred 

 in cajjlivity, fecundation seems lo have been insuflicicnt, so 

 that only a small number of young hatcheii, many of the 

 oolhccal containing only unfertilised yolk. 



