Review author: “ZooVita”
Among the many different insects, the praying mantis stands out especially. This unusual predatory insect belongs to the order of praying mantises, which has about three thousand species. It got its name due to its special hunting position.
When the mantis prepares to attack its prey, it folds its forelimbs like a prayer gesture, which resembles a person praying.
Origin of the name praying mantis
The academic name for the praying mantis was given back in 1758 by the great Swedish naturalist Karl Liney, who drew attention to the fact that the pose of a praying mantis in ambush and guarding its prey is very similar to the pose of a man folding his hands in prayer to God. Because of such striking similarity, the scientist gave the insect the Latin name “Mantis religiosa”, which literally translates as “religious priest”; the name “mantis” itself came into our language.
Although it is not called this way everywhere, our hero also has other, not so blissful names, for example, in Spain he is called Caballito del Diablo - the devil's horse or simply - muerte - death. Such creepy names are obviously associated with the equally creepy habits of praying mantises.
Who does the praying mantis fear?
The main enemies of praying mantises are birds, snakes, lizards, chameleons, some predatory insects and spiders. The praying mantis has several ways to protect itself from them.
First, swaying in an intimidating stance with the forelimbs raised up. With this pose, the praying mantis tries to appear larger in order to scare the offender.
Secondly, a special chirping sound, reminiscent of the hissing of snakes. It is created as a result of the friction of the wings on the abdomen.
Thirdly, there is a bright pattern on the wings, which the mantis spreads widely in case of danger. Some individuals have two dark spots on their wings, reminiscent of the eyes of a predator.
As a rule, the mantis will not be the first to attack a large animal or insect. However, when threatened, it will attempt to defend itself by biting or grabbing the enemy with its spiked front legs. If the attacker is significantly larger than the praying mantis, it is likely to fly away.
Description, structure, characteristics
The structure of the praying mantis is characterized by an elongated body, which distinguishes it from other arthropod insects.
The praying mantis is perhaps the only living creature that can easily turn its triangular-shaped head a full 360 degrees. Thanks to such a useful skill, he can see an enemy approaching from behind. He also has only one ear, but despite this, he has excellent hearing.
The eyes of the praying mantis have a complex faceted structure, located on the sides of the head, but in addition to them, our hero has three more simple eyes above the base of the antennae.
The antennae of mantises are comb-like, feathery or filamentous, depending on the species of the insect.
Mantises, almost all of their species, have well-developed wings, but mainly only males can fly; females, due to their greater weight and size, find it more difficult to fly than males. The wings of praying mantises consist of two pairs: front and rear, the front ones serve as a kind of elytra that protect the hind wings. Also, praying mantis wings usually have bright colors, and sometimes they even have peculiar patterns. But among the many varieties of mantises, there is a kind of earthen mantis (Latin name Geomantis larvoides), which has no wings at all.
Earth mantis.
Mantises have well-developed forelimbs, which have a rather complex structure - each of them consists of many parts: trochanters, femurs, tibiae and tarsi. The bottom of the thigh has large sharp spines arranged in three rows. There are also spines (though smaller ones) on the mantis’s shin, which is decorated with a sharp, needle-like hook at the end. See the picture for an indicative structure of a praying mantis’ foot.
Mantises hold their prey just between the thigh and the lower leg until their meal is over.
The blood circulation of mantises is primitive, but there is a reason for this - an unusual respiratory system.
The oxygen mantis is equipped with a complex system of tracheae connected to dichals (stigmas) on the abdomen in the middle and posterior part of the body. The trachea contains air sacs that enhance ventilation throughout the respiratory system.
Appearance of a praying mantis
The size of mantises varies from 1 to 11 cm. Depending on the species, these insects can differ significantly from each other in color and shape. But the structure of different individuals is mostly the same.
Praying mantises have a movable triangular head, a long elongated body, three pairs of limbs and two pairs of wings. The forelimbs are used for grasping prey, they are covered with spines and resemble a folding pocketknife. The four hind legs are thin and long, designed for locomotion.
Thanks to their green-yellow protective coloration, praying mantises are perfectly camouflaged among plants. Depending on the habitat, there are individuals of other colors: shades of gray and brown, as well as white, pink, orange and black.
What a praying mantis looks like depends largely on its environment. Thus, praying mantises that live and hunt in grass have a thin body, similar to a blade of grass or a stick.
Tropical mantises, on the other hand, have a wide, flat body that resembles a tree leaf.
Orchid mantises are skilled at hiding in flowers due to special lobes on their legs, indistinguishable in shape from orchid petals.
Dimensions
We have already mentioned above that female praying mantises are much larger than males, oddly enough, this is where their main sexual difference manifests itself.
A species of praying mantis, called Ischnomantis gigas in Latin and living in Africa, can reach 17 cm in length; perhaps this representative of the praying mantis kingdom is a real record holder in size.
Ischnomantis gigas is the largest praying mantis in the world.
It is slightly inferior to Heterochaeta orientalis or Heterochaeta eastern, it reaches 16 cm in length. Ordinary mantises are much smaller in size, on average no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length.
Why does a female praying mantis eat the male after mating?
Cannibalism among praying mantises is, in principle, natural, but it happens extremely rarely. Eating a partner is not necessary for mating. Since the female is larger and can be very hungry, after the process any food will do for her, but often this does not happen, and the male simply leaves, albeit quickly and quietly, but he leaves.
Nutrition
It is no secret that our hero is a notorious predator who loves to feed on both smaller insects and is not afraid to attack larger prey even than himself. Flies eat them,
mosquitoes, bees, wasps, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles, etc. Large representatives of the praying mantis family (see above) can even attack small rodents, birds and small amphibians: frogs, lizards.
Mantises usually attack from an ambush, unexpectedly grab the prey with their front paws and do not let go until they have completely eaten it. Strong jaws allow these gluttons to eat even relatively large prey.
What do they eat?
It is important to know what the praying mantis eats. In its natural habitat, other insects become its food. Praying mantises are omnivores - they eat bees, wasps, bumblebees, mosquitoes, butterflies, and various beetles with equal pleasure. Large individuals are capable of attacking small amphibians, rodents (lizards, mice) and even small birds.
The praying mantis attacks from ambush. He patiently waits for the victim, then grabs it with his forelimbs and, holding it, eats it. Nature has endowed them with powerful jaws, allowing them to gnaw even the largest prey.
Enemies in nature
Although praying mantises are excellent predator hunters, they themselves can also become prey for snakes, some birds or bats. But the main enemies of mantises, perhaps, are their own relatives - other mantises. Fights to the death between two rival mantises are not uncommon. The fights themselves, both between praying mantises and with other insects, are very spectacular; first of all, the praying mantis seeks to scare its opponent, for this it takes a special frightening pose - it throws its front paws forward and lifts its belly up. All this may be accompanied by corresponding threatening sounds. Such a demonstration of strength is by no means feigned; mantises are desperately brave and bravely rush even at a much larger opponent. Thanks to such courage and bravery, mantises often emerge victorious from such fights.
Character and lifestyle
All species of mantises prefer to live during the day. They have many enemies in nature, from which they prefer not to flee or hide. They simply turn towards the enemy, spread their wings and begin to scream loudly. The sounds are truly threatening; even people are afraid of them.
Why do females eat their partners? The answer to this question has long been found. The fact is that during mating, the female may simply get carried away by the process or confuse the male with some of her prey.
The period of gestation of eggs is typical for females in that they have a great appetite. Their bodies are desperately short of protein, which females take from the most unusual sources, sometimes eating their own kind.
Mating of insects begins with the simple dance of the male. In the process, he secretes an odorous substance, which helps convey to the female that he is from her kind.
Mostly this helps, but since mantises are cannibals, it doesn't always work. The female bites off her gentleman's head, and then simply cannot stop, devouring him all with great pleasure.
These predators have amazing agility. After sitting in ambush for a long time, they can make a sharp leap towards their prey and in a matter of seconds dig into it with their claws. When jumping, they are excellent at controlling their body, which is another distinctive feature of mantises .
Habitats
Almost everywhere, since their habitat is very wide: Central and Southern Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia. They are only absent in the northern regions, since mantises are not very accustomed to the cold. But they are perfectly suited, for example, to the hot and humid climate of tropical Africa and South America. Praying mantises thrive in tropical forests, steppe regions, and rocky deserts.
They rarely move from place to place, preferring their usual habitat to unknown distant places, the only reason that can prompt them to travel is the lack of food supply.
Security measures
Despite the widespread distribution of insects in some regions of Russia, the common mantis is listed in the Red Book. It is classified as a rare species in the Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Kurgan, Belgorod and Lipetsk regions. The number of insects has decreased as a result of plowing of land, grass burning, continuous hayfields, and the use of pesticides in cultivating fields. In the habitats of mantises, economic activity is limited. To protect the species, plowing land, grazing livestock, using pesticides, killing or capturing insects is prohibited. In Germany, the common mantis is included in the Red List as a declining species. It cannot be caught in the wild and kept at home as a pet.
Types: photos and names
Scientists have counted about 2000 different species of mantises; unfortunately, we will not be able to list them all in our article, but we will describe, in our opinion, the most interesting representatives.
Common praying mantis
The common praying mantis lives in most countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The common praying mantis is a very large representative of the praying mantis kingdom, reaching up to 7 cm (female) and 6 cm (male). As a rule, they are green or brown in color, the wings are well developed, at least, flying from branch to branch is not a problem for the common mantis. The abdomen is ovoid. This type of mantis can be distinguished by a black spot, which is located on the coxae of the front pair of legs on the inside.
Chinese mantis
Obviously, the homeland and main habitat of this type of mantis is China. The Chinese mantis is quite large, females reach up to 15 cm in length, but the size of males is much more modest. They have green and brown colors. A characteristic feature of Chinese mantises is their nocturnal lifestyle, while their other relatives still sleep at night. Also, young individuals of Chinese mantises do not have wings, which grow only after several molts, and then they acquire the ability to fly.
Praying mantis Creobroter meleagris
The praying mantis Creobroter meleagris lives in southwest Asia: India, Vietnam, Cambodia and several other countries. Usually reach 5 cm in length. The colors are white and cream. You can recognize them by the light brown stripes that run along the entire body and head. Also on the wings they have one small and one large spot of white or cream color.
Indian flower mantis
The mantis Creobroter gemmatus especially loves the humid forests of southern India, Vietnam and other Asian countries. This species is small, females grow to only 40 mm, males up to 38 mm. The body is more elongated than that of other relatives. And for additional protection, the Indian praying mantis has special spikes of different heights on its hips. Painted in cream colors. Representatives of this species are excellent flyers, both males and females, due to their low weight, and both pairs of wings are well developed. Interestingly, on the front wings they have a spot similar to an eye with two pupils, which scares away predators. Flower mantises live, as their names suggest, in plant flowers, where they guard their prey.
Spiny flower mantis
The same mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii lives in the countries of southern and eastern Africa. In terms of lifestyle and size, it is very similar to the Indian flower mantis. But what is especially interesting is its coloring - it is truly artistic; on the upper pair of wings there is an interesting pattern reminiscent of a spiral or even an eye. The abdomen of this species has additional spines, which give it its name.
Orchid mantis
The orchid mantis is, in our opinion, the most beautiful representative of the mantis world. It also received its name for a reason, namely for its external resemblance to beautiful orchids, on which it actually hides in ambush, waiting for its next victim. Female orchid mantises are exactly twice as large as males: 80 mm versus 40. And orchid mantises, even among other mantises, are distinguished by amazing courage; representatives of this species are not afraid to attack even insects twice their size.
Heterochaete eastern
The oriental heterochaete, or spiny-eyed mantis, is one of the largest mantises in the world (the female reaches 15 cm in length) and lives throughout most of Africa. These mantises live in the branches of bushes; fortunately, their appearance also resembles twigs.
Distribution area
The Mantisreligiosa species is thermophilic and cannot be found beyond the 50th parallel. The northern border of distribution in Europe runs through southern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and France. The common praying mantis is often found in southern European regions, on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, in Sudan, and in the Middle East. Predatory insects were brought to remote parts of the world - New Guinea, the USA, and the south of Canada was partially inhabited. Climate warming is promoting the expansion of the habitat to the north. Adult Mantisreligiosa is recorded in Belarus and Latvia, where it did not live before. In Russia, insects live in large numbers on the Black Sea coast, in the Crimea and the Caucasus.
Reproduction
And here we move on to the most interesting part, namely the reproduction of mantises, which, as a rule, has a sad and tragic end for the males. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, but start in order. With the onset of the mating season (usually in the fall), male praying mantises, using their olfactory organs, begin searching for females ready to mate. Having found one, he performs a special “mating dance” in front of her, which elevates him to the rank of sexual partner. Then the mating process itself begins, during which the female praying mantis has the bad habit of biting off her male’s head and then completely eating him. Some scientists believe that this behavior, which is more than creepy in our opinion, also has its own biological reasons - having eaten her “groom”, the female in this simple way replenishes the reserves of nutritious protein substances necessary for future offspring.
Mantis mating
Although it also happens that the male manages to get away from his “beloved” in time, thereby avoiding the sad fate of food.
After some time, the fertilized female lays eggs, simultaneously enveloping them with a special sticky secretion, which is secreted by their special glands. This secretion serves as a kind of protective capsule for the eggs of future mantises and is called an ooteca. The fertility of a female depends on its species; usually a female is capable of laying from 10 to 400 eggs at a time.
Praying mantis larvae stay in the eggs from three weeks to six months, after which they crawl out of the eggs. Further, their development proceeds at a fairly fast pace and after about 4-8 molts the larva degenerates into an adult mantis.
How do they reproduce?
Mantises have an incomplete metamorphosis cycle and sexual dimorphism. Most species (mostly tropical) are able to reproduce throughout their entire year of life. In other species, the mating season falls in the fall.
The male begins searching for a female to mate with. Having found her, he performs a ritual dance. After this, the mating process takes place. Many people know about the female praying mantis at this stage. After fertilization, the female praying mantis eats her partner, after biting off his head.
This happens for various reasons. Scientists suggest that the female replenishes protein in her body in this way for future offspring. Interestingly, some species of mantises do not kill males after mating. Also, the female can lay eggs without fertilization if she has enough nutrition. Each egg will hatch into a larva ( mantis nymph ).
Keeping at home
Terrarium
It would be a very exotic and unusual act to get yourself a pet praying mantis, wouldn’t it? However, there are people who have such “pets” and if you also want to join them, then the first thing you will have to take care of is the terrarium. A relatively small glass or plastic terrarium with a mesh lid is suitable; its dimensions should be at least three times the size of the mantis itself. Inside it would be nice to place twigs or small plants on which the praying mantis will climb like trees.
Temperature
Praying mantises are heat-loving insects, so the optimal temperature for them will be from +23 to +30 C. You can use special heaters for terrariums.
Humidity
Also, do not forget about humidity, which is also important for these insects. The optimal humidity for praying mantises is 40-60%, and to maintain it, you can place a small container of water inside the terrarium.
What to feed at home
Live food. Perfect fit
crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, flies. Some species of praying mantises will not mind eating ants. And at the same time, they need to be fed regularly, so keeping such “pets” can be somewhat troublesome. But you don’t need to give praying mantises water, since they get the liquid the body needs from food.
Features and habitat
From the description of the praying mantis insect, it is known that this is a rather large creature from the genus Mantis. The female is always larger than the male. Its body length is about 7.5 cm. The male mantis is 2 cm smaller.
Among them there are giants, reaching a length of up to 18 cm. There are also very tiny creatures, no more than 1 cm. Insects similar to a praying mantis are grasshoppers and cockroaches. But these are only external similarities. In all other respects they are completely different.
The main weapon and main organ of the insect is the forelimbs, with which the mantis grabs food. In addition, the praying mantis can move quickly with the help of its forelimbs.
The hind limbs are intended purely for movement. Insects have wings. Only males use them mainly because females, having large dimensions, fly extremely rarely.
The head of a praying mantis is in the form of a triangle. She is movably connected to his body. He turns his head in different directions and can see over his shoulder without any problems. Which helps him to notice approaching enemies prematurely.
The insect's abdomen resembles an egg and is long. It is soft, consisting of 10 segments, the last of which contains the olfactory organ of insects. Moreover, in females it is much better developed. The insect has only one ear. Regardless of this, his hearing is perfect.
Its large and bulging eyes stand out against the background of its triangular head, this is clearly visible in the photo of the praying mantis . In addition to them, there are three more small eyes; they are located in the area of the antennae. Insect antennae come in several types - in the form of threads, combs and feathers.
The appearance of an insect can be a variety of shades - yellow, gray, dark brown. It depends on the environment. Very often, a motionless praying mantis blends perfectly with nature. So that it is simply impossible to notice. He needs this disguise in order to stalk his prey without any problems.
You can meet these insects in almost all corners of the planet. They are perfectly suited to tropical and subtropical climates. Praying mantises love wet forests and rocky desert areas.
They are comfortable in the steppes and meadows. They prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle. If everything is in order with food in one place, then they can remain in this territory forever.
Active movement of insects is noticed when they mate. The reason for this may be an insufficient amount of food or the presence of those living creatures that are enemies of mantises. These include birds, chameleons, and snakes.
Interesting Facts
Mating season
Having noticed the fair half, the male begins to creep up on her much more carefully than on the most dangerous and sensitive prey. The human eye cannot detect his movements. It seems that the insect is not moving at all, but it is gradually approaching the female, trying to come from behind. If the female turns in his direction at this moment, the male freezes in place for a long time, while swaying a little. Biologists believe that these movements are a signal that switches the female's behavior from hunting to love.
This rather peculiar courtship can last up to six hours. It is better for the gentleman to be a little late for this date than to rush a minute. The common mantis breeds at the very end of summer. In Russia, mating occurs from mid-August to early September. The influence of sex hormones provokes an increase in aggressiveness in the behavior of the insect. At this time, cases of cannibalism are common. The main feature of the common praying mantis is that the female devours the male after and sometimes during mating.
There is a version that a male praying mantis cannot copulate if he has a head, so sexual intercourse in insects begins with an unpleasant procedure for the male - the female tears off his head. However, more often mating occurs without victims, but after its completion the female eats the male, and even then only in half of the cases.
As it turned out, she eats her partner not because of her special bloodthirstiness or harmfulness, but because of the great need for protein at the first stage of egg development.
Video
And in conclusion, we bring to your attention an interesting popular science film about praying mantises.
Author: Pavel Chaika, editor-in-chief of Poznavaika magazine
When writing the article, I tried to make it as interesting, useful and high-quality as possible. I would be grateful for any feedback and constructive criticism in the form of comments on the article. You can also write your wish/question/suggestion to my email [email protected] or Facebook, with respect, the author.
Author page
This article is available in English -
Praying Mantis – an Alien Insect.
Offspring
The common mantis, a photo of which you can see in this article, lays eggs in ootecae. This is a special form of laying, characteristic of mollusks and cockroaches. It consists of horizontal rows of eggs, of which there can be two or more.
The female fills them with a foamy protein substance, which, when hardened, forms a capsule. Typically, up to 300 eggs are laid. The capsule has a fairly solid structure that easily sticks to plants or stones, protecting the egg from external influences.
Optimal humidity and temperature are maintained inside the capsule. In the ooteca, eggs cannot die even at temperatures down to -18 °C. In temperate latitudes, the eggs overwinter, and in the southern regions the incubation period is a month.
Habitat - where does the praying mantis live?
Habitat of the praying
mantis Mantises are distributed throughout the planet. They are in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. A wide variety of mantises have been recorded in Asian countries. A few species can be found in the CIS countries. Insects were also brought to Australia and North America, where they were able to take root.
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