The idea was more like what gozermantis said... General ideas about where to look, even if not in stock. People can see what's in stock at that exact moment in time & can possibly sign up for notification emails when their preferred species is in stock again. I guess I was thinking that if a site has had a species in stock at one point in time, they will possibly have the ability to obtain it again.
I know I've not had much look looking in my local LFS's. They tend to have nothing but Peacocks (if they have any at all), & that's not really a species I'm interested in acquiring. So, most likely my mantis will be coming from an online source. I thought others might appreciate a list of places where they could check availability. It's a place to start, at least. If your guys' LFS's are anything like mine, asking for a mantis, much less a specific species, isn't likely to get you very far.
And I'm a she.