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Battleship-shaped Ootheca

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

31mm long | July 6, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

I saw quite a few of these oddly shaped things. My guess would be that they are the oothecae (egg masses) of a praying mantis. I’ve read that each species of praying mantis has a distinctive looking ootheca. After quite a bit of searching, I’ve been unable to find one that looks quite like this.

This one was on some sort of succulent plant, but I found others on tree trunks and various other plants.

Another view

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Crypsis Challenge #14 Reveal: Bark Mantis

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Troy Bartlett

Did you rise to the latest crypsis challenge and spot the bark mantis in the photo? If not, take another look with the help of my crude outlining skills.

July 5, 2011 | Victorio Siqueroli Park, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Mantis Position Revealed

This bark mantis was the first thing I photographed on my first visit to Victorio Siqueroli Park. It was difficult trying to get some natural light photos that showed off its camouflage. It’s head down in the shot above, but it moved around during the shoot and ended up in various positions. Here’s some more shots with the aid of flash. read more

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 2 Comments

Crypsis Challenge #6 Reveal

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Troy Bartlett

What was hidden here?

January 31, 2010 | Tupaciguara, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Ted was on the right track with his comments about the mantid-like head. It is in fact a mantid of some type. Here’s a close crop from the image above.

It's a mantid

Posted in Crypsis Challenges | 1 Comment