Klüber Patrick, Gabche Raissa
Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Giessen, Germany.
Front Insect Sci. 2025 Mar 19;5:1531683. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1531683. eCollection 2025.
Praying mantises are known for their striking predatory behavior and are becoming increasingly popular with hobbyists and for scientific research. As generalist predators with a wide range of insect-based diets, it is crucial to identify suitable prey options, especially for restricted environments such as terrariums, which are limited compared to the wild. This study investigates the use of adult black soldier flies (BSF; Linnaeus, 1758) as a sole food source for two mantis species, (Roy & Leston, 1975) and (Serville, 1839), while assessing their suitability and potential challenges associated with their digestion. The BSF is widely recognized for its high nutritional value and ease of rearing, making it an attractive prey candidate for mantises. Although natural capture behavior and high feed acceptance have been observed, adult BSF seem not to be suitable as sole feed for both mantises. Our results suggest that imbalances in macronutrients, particularly the protein/fat ratio, may contribute to high mortality. The use of BSF as a mono-diet could also limit access to a variety of beneficial microorganisms that are essential for maintaining a healthy gut microbiota in mantises, thereby affecting their immunity and well-being in captivity. In addition, the possible presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the BSF could also have affected the mantises' survival. Future studies should focus on the nutritional adjustment of BSF, as their chemical composition is strongly dependent on the feed they are reared on.
螳螂以其惊人的捕食行为而闻名，并且在爱好者和科学研究中越来越受欢迎。作为具有广泛昆虫类食物的通食性捕食者，确定合适的猎物选择至关重要，特别是对于诸如饲养箱等受限环境，与野外环境相比，饲养箱中的资源有限。本研究调查了成年黑水虻（双翅目水虻科；林奈，1758）作为两种螳螂物种，即中华大刀螳（Roy & Leston，1975）和广斧螳（Serville，1839）的唯一食物来源的情况，同时评估其适用性以及与消化相关的潜在挑战。黑水虻因其高营养价值和易于饲养而被广泛认可，使其成为螳螂有吸引力的猎物候选者。尽管观察到了自然捕食行为和高饲料接受度，但成年黑水虻似乎并不适合作为两种螳螂的唯一饲料。我们的结果表明，常量营养素的失衡，特别是蛋白质/脂肪比例，可能导致高死亡率。将黑水虻用作单一食物来源还可能限制获取各种有益微生物，而这些微生物对于维持螳螂健康的肠道微生物群至关重要，从而影响它们在圈养环境中的免疫力和健康状况。此外，黑水虻中可能存在的致病微生物也可能影响了螳螂的生存。未来的研究应侧重于黑水虻的营养调整，因为它们的化学成分强烈依赖于其饲养所使用的饲料。
