As of Summer 2023, the lab has shifted focus and dove head-first into the world of mantids. Under the guidance of Dr. Oufiero, we have made amazing progress in studying the prey strike behaviors of multiple species. Our lab at Towson is home to 15 species from all over the world, growing by the day thanks to the husbandry of the whole team as well as breeding efforts by Lohit, Ryan, and Marlee. What originally started as a handful of adult mantises in 2022 has turned into an array of morphological variation and hundreds of mantis nymphs.
Each member of the team has put in countless hours on their own projects studying different facets of mantis prey capture which ultimately will culminate to paint a full picture of the behaviors of these fantastic insects.
Lohit’s current focus, outside of being the husbandry leader and breeding his own array of mantises at home, is recording the prey capture of different ecomorphs to better understand how each species uses their unique forms to capture prey. He spends time filming at our 3D kinematic station before further analyzing the footage using tracking software to gather data on the angles, velocity, etc. Lohit’s combination of pure love for mantises, his interest in sharing knowledge, and lifelong pursuit of understanding mantids has been infectious within our lab.
During early 2022, Lizzie and MK joined the team. Both new to the invertebrate world, they began by digitizing videos previously taken by Dr. Oufiero. This work helped both undergraduates better understand the 3D filming and data analysis process, while learning husbandry and care in the vivarium.
MK is part of the accelerated graduate program at Towson, a Biology major with an Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation concentration. Her work focuses on the popular Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) – a gorgeous flower mimic that has taken Instagram by storm in recent years. Through 3D filming of the mantids speedy, compact strikes, she hopes to shed light on their prey strike flexibility. Future research will likely focus on the unique personalities and behavior of the Orchid Mantis, as well as putting her Communications degree to use for the team.
Lizzie is a current undergraduate student with a Biology major and secondary education focus who aspires to teach science to younger age groups in the future, hoping to encourage inquiry and foster research based lessons in the classroom. She brings an unrelenting work ethic to the team that is invaluable. Lizzie is working with Marlee Wood to capture time lapsed footage of mantis ingestion rates which will then be compared to morphological structures (like the mandibles) to asses any relationship between structure and ingestion.
Marlee joined as an undergraduate in 2022, she is Biology major with an Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation concentration. Marlee has been a quick study in mantis breeding, successfully mating multiple species in rapid succession without any of the infamous cannibalism or “off with his head” moments many might encounter. In her free time, Marlee can be found admiring birds, lizards, and any other wildlife that crosses her path. Marlee also helped in early digitization of Dr. O’s previous videos, along with Ryan.
Ryan joined the team during his final years as an undergraduate at Towson and has decided to stay on for his masters degree. Outdoorsy and active, Ryan is befittingly planning to spend Fall 2023 collecting native Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) and the non-native Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis). His aim is to analyze and compare the diets of both species to asses how they coexist in the same niche. Ryan also has a background in photography that has been instrumental in taking macro shots of our mantids (and great pictures of the team as a whole).
Going into the Fall 2023 semester, some projects will be wrapping up and some will just be beginning. We will continue posting updates as often as possible! Huge thank you to everyone at Towson and beyond who has been supporting our work.
-MK