Ghost Mantis

House one in a well-ventilated enclosure that is clearly taller than it is wide, at least about three times the mantis's body length in height, so it has room to hang and shed. A 20 x 20 x 30 cm mesh or ventilated terrarium suits an adult. Furnish with twigs, artificial or real foliage and a mesh or rough ceiling it can grip and hang upside down from, which is essential for molting. Keep the floor soft. Good airflow matters as much as decor to prevent mould.

Strict live-insect predator. Feed appropriately small feeders: fruit flies for tiny nymphs, graduating to house flies, small crickets, blue bottle flies and similar as it grows, always no larger than about the length of the mantis's body. Ghost mantises particularly favour flying prey. Feed every one to two days for nymphs and every few days for adults, and crucially remove all uneaten feeders before and during a molt, as a loose cricket can chew and kill a soft, defenceless mantis. Mist lightly so it can drink droplets.

Keep at about 22 to 28 degrees Celsius with a natural slight night-time drop, using a gentle thermostat-controlled heat source if a room runs cool, and avoid overheating. Maintain moderate humidity of around 50 to 60 percent by lightly misting every day or two and letting it dry between, which supports clean molts without soaking the enclosure. Strong ventilation is vital, as stagnant damp air causes fatal mould and failed molts. They need no special lighting, just a normal day and night cycle out of direct sun.

Best kept alone, one per enclosure, as the safe default. Ghost mantises are among the least cannibalistic mantises and are sometimes raised communally with very heavy planting, ample space and constant food, but beginners should not risk it, since a hungry mantis will still eat a smaller one. Handling should be gentle and rare; let it walk onto your hand rather than gripping it, and keep it low, as a fall can injure or kill this fragile insect.

Provide a densely furnished vertical space with twigs and leaves to climb, perch and ambush from, which lets it express its natural sit-and-wait hunting and leaf-mimic camouflage. Live, moving prey is the key behavioural enrichment, triggering its striking predatory reflexes. Ensure there is always a secure high grip point and clear space beneath it for the vulnerable moment of molting.