If you look at a photo of a praying mantis, you can see an insect with its front legs folded at the elbows; its pose resembles a person reciting a prayer. This is where its name comes from.
The Latin name, Mantis religiosa, was given to it by the scientist Carl Linnaeus, drawing attention to its posture during an ambush. Translated, this means “religious priest.” This name has come down to us as “mantis”.
There are other names for this insect, for example, the Spaniards call it the devil's horse, apparently it received this name for its creepy habits.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Deroplatys Lobata
Another species that perfectly camouflages itself as leaves. That is why it is also called Dead Leaf. You can meet Deroplatys Lobata on the Pacific Islands, Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.
Easy to keep in captivity, but requires a humid microclimate, reminiscent of a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Females reach 9 cm, but males grow up to 4.5 cm.
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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.
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.
Empusa striped
The range of the striped empusa extends from Western Asia to the northeastern coast of Italy. Most often this praying mantis can be found in the southern Balkans.
Empusa is a very successful ambush predator. Over the course of evolution, this species specialized in hunting fast-flying insects such as flies and bees. Adult females often sit on flowers and wait for honeybees to arrive.
Empusa fasciata
Thanks to its bizarre shape and yellowish-green striped leg pattern, the empusa is very well camouflaged in vegetation.
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.
Rhombodera basalis
A large praying mantis from the genus Rhombodera can be found among the tropical forests of India, Thailand and Malaysia. Prefers to settle in humid and warm places. Adults grow up to 9 cm.
It differs from other species in its chest shield. The color is turquoise-green with a blue tint. Because of its beauty and calm disposition, it often becomes a resident of home aquariums.
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.
Larvae
Thirty days later, larvae emerge from the eggs. There are small spikes on their surface that help them get out of the capsule. After this, the larvae molt. Later they shed their skin and become similar to adults, but without wings. The larva of the common mantis is very mobile, it has a protective coloring.
In most areas of distribution of these insects, the larvae hatch in late April - early May. In two and a half months they molt five times. Only after this do they become adult insects. The process of puberty lasts two weeks, then the males begin to look for their other half for mating. Mantises live in natural conditions for two months. The males die first. After mating, they no longer look for prey, become very lethargic and quickly die. They live only until September, and females survive them for a month. Their age ends in October.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Interesting Facts
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.
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.
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This article is available in English -
Praying Mantis – an Alien Insect.
