David Element's Wildlife Web Page Orthopteroids 15

David Element

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______ Orthopteroids 15 - Praying Mantids 1

PRAYING MANTIS Mantis religiosa

This splendid insect may be located in grassy areas in which the green or brown ground colour provides near perfect camouflage. Praying Mantids do fly sometimes, but they can also move quite rapidly on foot. When hunting, stealth is the preferred option. Mantids have acute all-round vision with large eyes and a particularly wide range of head movement. Unsuspecting insects are trapped by lightning fast movements of the powerful front legs. Prey is immobilised by the fearsome curved projections and the head end of the prey is often consumed first. It is well known that mating is a precarious operation for male mantids as they are often at least partly consumed by their mates during the process. Paradoxically it is believed that the performance of the males may even be enhanced by the process of being eaten - not that they can be asked, of course! It is certainly true that the headless body of a male mantis will continue to fertilize the female and the additional meal is believed to help with the nourishment of the developing eggs. The first three pictures illustrate adults of the green and brown forms and the remainder show two final instar nymphs. The fleshy appearance of the developing wing-buds of the second nymph suggest that it will not be too long before the final ecdysis. These photographs were taken in the Dordogne, France. This species is absent from the UK, although captive pet mantids may escape sometimes.