Taxonomy;
Class: Insecta Order: Mantodea Family: Mantidae Sub-family: Hierodulinae Tribe: Hierodulini Genus: Rhombodera Species: kirbyi
Origin;
As the common name suggests, the Timor Shield Mantis can be found on the island of Timor, Malaysia, and many of the islands of Indonesia and surrounding areas. I have found this species on rubber plantations in Malacca, Malaysia, and Java, Indonesia, possibly one of the reasons why it became my all-time favourite praying mantis. The island is a forgotten tropical paradise located to the north of Australia in the Timor Sea, with inland peaks created by the Ring of Fire and covered with lush greenery. Temperatures here hit the high 20s all year round, with a rainy season stretching from December to mid-May. The humidity levels on the island never drop below 70% and can rise well into the mid-80s frequently
Graphic taken from the Worlddata website
This climate in Timor is very similar throughout the areas where the kirbyi is often found, giving an excellent idea of how it needs to be kept in captivity.
Description;
This is a large, full-bodied mantis, mostly of a single colour throughout its body that can range from a creamy white, yellow, numerous shades of green and brown, and on occasion, blue. Its name not only derives from where it was first formally described (M Beier, 1952), but from the large pronotum that resembles a shield, as it does in all species from this genus. Out of all the Rhombodera, this is probably the most popular and prolific in the hobby today, and one that I keep 365 days a year.
Diet;
In the wild, they will take just about anything they can hold, from grasshoppers, scorpions, spiders, flies, cockroaches, and even small snakes, rodents, and lizards. This is an extremely versatile species, big enough to handle many prey items that others would run from.
In captivity, they can be fed on flies from an early age, gradually working their way up to adult cockroaches. Crickets should always be avoided with captive mantis, but locusts can provide a similar protein-rich food for them instead and are readily available from most pet shops or online suppliers.
Feeding (mantis in general);
Praying mantis do not eat on your regime, temperatures affect an insect’s metabolism greatly, which dictates their requirement for nourishment. Viewing their abdomen is the best and only intelligent way to decide if your mantis requires food. Overfeeding a mantis can result in abdominal ruptures and death, so it is always best to gauge your mantis’s hunger level by its girth. A flat-bodied mantis needs feeding. If you can see the membrane between the segments on the underside of the abdomen, then the mantis is full, and you should wait before offering more.
It is normally best to feed some foods, such as locusts and cockroaches, with tongs one at a time rather than allowing them to roam their enclosure. Any food not eaten after several hours will need to be removed. The mantis could wish to moult or be full and become stressed with uneaten food flying/ crawling around.
Please, remember, males do not eat as much as females once they attain adulthood and may go weeks without, and at times refuse food entirely. This is perfectly normal. Females need more food because fertile or not, they still produce an ootheca, which they develop inside their bodies, made from the proteins they consume.
Temperatures and Humidity;
As mentioned above, an average of 70-80% humidity and a temperature of 25- 27 °C will keep this species happy, allowing for a few degrees either way. All praying mantises expect a drop in temperature during the nighttime hours, so if the temperature drops as low as 22 °C at night, it won’t harm your pet.
Enclosure;
Googling the enclosure size for any mantis will give you the same result every time. 3 x the length of the mantis = height of the enclosure, 2 x = width of the enclosure. This would be adequate if it were an empty tank, but as I’m sure you will be placing substrates inside, this may affect the moulting ability of your mantis, so I would always suggest 4x the length and not 3x
These sizes work out for every mantis at any age, thus making the answer easy for all. Before your mantis gains adult size, avoid decorating or planting out your enclosure too heavily. i.e., you shouldn’t have anything in the way when moulting is underway.
Mantises also require a mesh lid so they may hook on and hang from the top when they moult. If this is not provided, your mantis will attempt to moult in places that could result in a bad moult, which often results in death or missing limbs, or other external or internal damage.
This is a large, friendly mantis that will happily live outside an enclosure, free-roaming at will once an adult, if a large plant is provided. Praying mantises like to go upwards and rarely come down to the floor unless sick or looking for a place to lay an ootheca. Please be aware that if you have other pets that free-roam where your mantis lives that they can often become snacks for dogs, cats, and birds. They’re tough, but not indestructible. A large plastic or real plant placed on an eye-level shelf should allow your mantis to live out the rest of its life without ever needing to leave its new home. Please note, this is not advisable if you do not fully understand the behaviour of your pet, and all mantis have their own characters and behaviours.
Breeding;
This mantis requires a little more experience to pair, and if it is your intention to attempt a mantis pairing, I would suggest you start with a less aggressive genus.
Using a mesh enclosure is a good way to ensure that your males don’t fly too far if they’re nervous, and a good investment if you intend to pair any other mantises.
In the wild, kirbyi mate in the dry season, so if you wish to replicate their natural environment, you may want to lower the humidity a touch and turn up the heat to around 28- 32 °C.
The females are best mated at over 5-6 weeks after their last moult and well fed, with males mature enough to pair after 10-14 days after moulting to adult. Males should be fed before a pairing is attempted. I have experienced males being aggressive towards feeding females during this time if not fed beforehand. Females can be paired at 3-4 weeks after gaining adulthood, but will be much harder to work with and more aggressive towards the male(s).
Place a male on the wall of the mesh enclosure, and then place the female a few inches (5 cm) in front of him on the mesh. At this point, one of two things will happen. The male will become interested and he will become transfixed on the female’s movements, or he will run/ fly away. If the latter happens more than two or three times, there is a good chance that he is not yet ready to pair, and it is best to put him away and try again in a few more days, or you could be in for a very long and frustrating time.
The male will be more inclined to make a move if the female does not stay stationary. Blowing on them gently can encourage movement of the female, which in turn will instill false confidence in the male that will start to stalk the female. When he starts to move forward towards her, you will need a small child’s paintbrush or chopstick in case things don’t go to plan and you need to prevent the female from ensnaring the male in her raptorial legs.
Once he has mounted the female, he will spend a long time (if it is his first time)attempting to enter her by hooking his abdomen around to connect with her. After connecting, they can stay locked together for 8-24 hours.
Rhombodera kirbyi mounted (YouTube)
Laying;
After mating, ootheca will be laid in around 3-4 weeks, depending on food intake. The female requires a high-protein diet when making the ootheca within her body. Avoid such feeders as waxworms during this period, as they contain too many fatty compounds that could result in a female becoming “ooth-bound.” Locusts and cockroaches, especially dubia roaches, are the highest protein feeders and are suitable for this time.
Provide several sticks if possible, or keep the female free-roaming on a large plant
fig 3
Oothecas are large and may contain 200 individual eggs that will hatch in 5-7 weeks if kept well.
Ootheca care and hatching;
Ootheca (known as “ooths” within the community) should be kept between 70-80% humidity at a temperature between 25- 30 °C and will take 5-7 weeks to hatch, where 80-200 nymphs will appear.
“When the ootheca are laid, they can be removed and placed in 32 oz pots, tacked to a mesh lid (as above) using a small amount of superglue or even BlueTac. In the case of kirbyi as in fig 3, ootheca laid on sticks can be a little more challenging to remove, and it is often best to saw down the stick carefully and place the entire thing inside a pot or empty enclosure.
The bottom of the pot can contain 1/2″ (1-2 cm) of cocoa fibre, sphagnum moss, and be dampened regularly, keeping the temperature in the pot at 25- 30 °C will see your ooth hatch within 5-7 weeks of the date laid. Each ooth will hold an average of 125 nymphs that emerge very thirsty, and a very fine spray should be skimmed across the top of the mesh to allow them to drink. Do NOT spray into the pot, so that it may cause large droplets on the inside, as your new nymphs may drown.”
Nymph Care;
Contrary to popular belief (and Google), nymphs do not emerge hungry and hunting; they emerge soft and will avoid confrontation at all costs until they dry out. This will normally take 2-3 days, and only then will they require an external source of food. There is no rush to pot this species up separately, and they may be left in the pot together for several more days if fed and watered.
D. hydei (standard fruit flies) are accepted after a few days.
I would advise keeping this species separate after 4-5 days, as they are an aggressive species, and slower individuals are likely to end up as lunch.
To “pot up” nymphs, you can use 4-oz (120 ml) source pots and lids with a mesh top. Cutting the centre of the lid out to allow airflow and trapping the mesh between the pot and the lid. Make-up pads are commonly used at the bottom of the pot to soak up excess moisture when sprayed, which in turn provides humidity.
Continue to feed with D. hydei for a few moults and try to offer green bottle flies or micro roaches as soon as they can take them.
Rhombodera kirbyi photographs and text; Simon Griffiths, The Mantis Garden
YouTube shorts are provided with express permission of TheMantisGarden YouTube Channel
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