In the insect world, the order Mantodea includes predatory insects with a distinctive shape with a triangular head and sharp claws cupped in front of the chest. Many species of mantises surprise people with their strange appearance. Join Toplist to learn more interesting facts about mantises.
Description Information
The praying mantis or praying mantis is a large group of creatures in the insect world. They have about 2,200 species belonging to 9 families. Of the 9 families, Mantidae is the largest and most species-rich. Mantises can live in both tropical and temperate climates. Join Pest-Solutions to learn about the characteristics, behavior, reproduction and distribution of this killer species.
This order includes mantis species, which appeared about 20 million years ago. It is a large insect, 40-80 mm long, with two broad front and two hind wings. The hind wings are glass-like and only on the forewing on the tips, the wings are light green or light brown.
The anterior thoracic vertebrae are elongated and on the medial iliac crests of the forelimbs there is a black dot, often with a light brown spot in the center. The front legs are blade-shaped, the inside has teeth, used to catch prey and fight enemies. Females are usually larger than males (Female 48 – 76 mm; Male 40 – 61 mm). The color changes according to the color of the habitat (especially when stalking): the color usually appears green, withered grass or yellow, brown. They have eyes that are made up of many different vision cells that allow them to see from great distances.
Description information:
Latin name: Mantis religiosa
Family: Mantis Mantidae
Set: Mantopera
Group: Insects
Average lifespan: 1 year
Structural features
Praying mantids (Pray Mantid), named for their behavior. Pray means to pray, because their standing posture is like praying for something.
Their front legs have spikes, this is a weapon to catch and hold prey. The head has the ability to rotate 300 degrees, allowing them to have a wide view without moving their body. Mantises hunt mainly by sight, so they are only active during the day.
The closest relatives of mantises are termites and cockroaches, and sometimes these three species are even placed in the same order instead of giving them suborders. This is something that is still the subject of debate among biologists.
Juveniles and adults both eat other small insects such as flies, butterflies, larvae, beetles, bees, cockroaches, etc. But the main food in summer and winter is young leaves because then. Insects are scarce. Adults even eat small birds, lizards, snakes, mice. Mantises often hang themselves on a tree or branch waiting for prey to pass by, then use their forelimbs with sharp spikes to catch and clamp the prey (this action happens very quickly), the prey will not die immediately. and the mantis gradually eats its prey while the bait is still alive. This is also a special thing about the mantis, the mantis never eats dead prey. Many female mantises eat their mates after and even during mating.
Mantis food
Mantises are carnivores, they are fearsome predators in the wild and eat anything that can be eaten. Their main food source is small insects such as flies, mosquitoes, bees, beetles, cockroaches. In an environment with a lack of food, they can eat each other.
Mantis hunts by ambush tactics to capture prey. With their incredible speed, they attack and capture their prey in a flash with their powerful front legs, then swallow the prey. Some large mantis species eat larger prey such as fish, spiders, birds, snakes, and even rats.
If you have mantises, feed them the following foods:
Fruit fly
Rice flour
Small silkworm
Fly larvae
Moth
Crickets
Grasshopper
Mantis hunting instincts
These insects are formidable predators. They have triangular heads resting on long "necks". The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees to look around with its two large compound eyes and three other single eyes between them.
Common mantis colors are green or brown and are well camouflaged on the plants in which they live, mantis lying in ambush or stalking patiently. They use their forelimbs to grab their prey with such quick reflexes that they are barely visible to the naked eye. Their legs are equipped with spikes to catch prey and pin it in place.
In particular, with an orchid-like shape, the orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) often takes advantage of this to attract and catch prey easily. In fact, the orchid mantis is not only like a flower, but even more beautiful than some real flowers. According to the researchers, the insect's unique camouflage comes from its orchid-like petals. The petal-like legs are used to distract prey, while the serrated teeth on the front legs are used to capture prey. Orchid mantises are considered to be among the best camouflaged in the animal kingdom. This species usually lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asian countries, mainly Malaysia and Indonesia.
Mantis' self-defense ability
Although their front legs look mighty and fearsome, they are not used for self-defense. This oracle mainly defends himself by camouflage, hiding himself in the vegetation environment to deceive the enemy.
Some mantises react to predators by flapping their wings to make them appear larger in hopes that the enemy will reconsider.
These insects can bite, but they are not venomous. They can prey on large carnivores such as bullfrogs, snakes, and other reptiles. Even dogs and cats can swallow them alive, so you should pay attention to this if you have mantises.
These insects can bite, but they are not venomous. The mantis' enemies are snakes, frogs, and reptiles. They can prey on large carnivores such as bullfrogs, snakes, and other reptiles. Even dogs and cats can swallow them alive, so you should pay attention to this if you have mantises.
Reproductive characteristics
Autumn is the strongest breeding season for mantises. After mating, the female will eat the male to provide nutrients to increase the number of eggs. The female attaches her egg sac under leaves or branches. The eggs will overwinter and hatch in early spring and early summer as temperatures warm.
The life cycle of a mantis begins with an egg, which is born before winter. After mating, the female mantis fertilizes and produces 100-400 eggs. Eggs are placed in a safe place such as on a hard leaf or under a tree, eggs can also be placed in a bag, called an ootheca. The bag is fastened to a tree branch, which is a very tough protective shell and is able to withstand extreme weather changes. The eggs have not yet hatched during the winter, but in mid-spring when temperatures warm, the larvae will crack the eggshells and emerge.
Newly born larvae from eggs are about 4mm long. They need time to develop to reach an adult form. During this process, the larvae feed and eat, then molt several times over several months until adulthood.
The female mantis eats her mate immediately after or even while they are mating. However, this behavior does not seem to prevent males from reproducing. The female praying mantis usually lays hundreds of eggs in one nest. Those tiny eggs gradually hatch into young mantises that look like miniature versions of their parents.
Mantis life cycle
The mantis undergoes an incomplete metamorphosis consisting of 3 stages: egg, larva and adult. The time to complete the life cycle of the mantis depends on the ambient temperature.
Eggs: The life cycle of a mantis begins with an egg, which is born before winter. After mating, the female mantis fertilizes and produces 100-400 eggs. Eggs are placed in a safe place such as on a hard leaf or under a tree, eggs can also be placed in a bag, called an ootheca. The bag is fastened to a tree branch, which is a very tough protective shell and is able to withstand extreme weather changes. The eggs have not yet hatched during the winter, but in mid-spring when temperatures warm up, the larvae will crack the shell and emerge (after about 3-10 weeks).
Larva: When born, the larvae are pale in color, they will stay around the eggshell for a while. This is in the larval stage that will eat each other for nutrients. After dispersing, they will begin to hunt small insects such as fruit flies. The larvae go through a series of repeated growth stages. At each stage, they shed their exoskeleton through a process called molting, allowing the body to grow to a larger size. The larvae shed their skin about 6 times before they begin the next stage of their life cycle. The larvae are vulnerable to other large predators such as bats, birds and spiders, and not all mantis larvae survive this stage.
Adolescence: This is an unofficial adult stage of a mantis, although the appearance is completely similar to an adult mantis, some functions in the body are still incomplete. At this stage, they sometimes shed their skin, which is different from adult mantises. Mantis at this stage tend to be sluggish before they shed their skin and rarely eat during this time. After each molt, they are vulnerable to external influences and they must hide somewhere safe for several hours so as not to become food. The skinning process ends at the beginning of summer, when it has hardened and become a full-fledged adult.
Adult: Adult mantises are usually 1 - 6 inches (2.5 - 15cm) in length, varying in size depending on the species. Females are easily distinguished by their larger abdomens and larger bodies than males. In addition to small insects, mantises also hunt for small birds, mice, lizards, and tree frogs. Praying mantises have a rather interesting behavior when they mate, the female will cut off the male's head after sex because she thinks the head reduces her sexual feelings. After mating, the female feeds on the rest of the male's body. When it comes to breeding, they quickly find a safe place to lay their eggs, hundreds of eggs are produced, and the life cycle of the mantis continues. The female mantis will die after laying eggs.
Habitat
Body color often carries a protective camouflage to match the color of the tree and habitat, this species has 3 primary colors as described above. They are more common on large trees and shrubs than on grassy trees.
Distribution:
Vietnam: throughout the territory of Vietnam, according to documents found them in Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh, This is the only species of the Mantodea order included in the Red Book of Vietnam.
World: is a species widely distributed in both temperate and tropical regions of the continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, even North America and Australia.
This is an insect that benefits more than harms because they destroy many harmful insects, especially they also eat a lot of aphids (Aphididae). They also beautify nature. However, sometimes they also eat honey bees and other beneficial insects.
Mantises are mostly beneficial and beneficial insects for human productive activities because they only eat insects and do not harm crops. In China, people observed mantises hunting and from that came the idea of Tang lang boxing
Most mantises live in the tropics
To date, at least 2000 species have been found in tropical areas. Only 18 species are found on the North American continent. Mantises of the family Mantidae make up 80% of the population in the order Mantodea.
It won't be easy for you to find a native mantis right here in the US. The Chinese mantis (Tenodera aridifolia) was found near the city of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) nearly 80 years ago. This mantis is measured up to 10cm long.
The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) is light green in color and about half the size of the Chinese mantis. The European mantis was found in Rochester (New York state) nearly a century ago.
Both the Chinese mantis and the European mantis live in the United States today.
There are three species of insects that are thought to share a common ancestor: mantises, cockroaches, and termites. In fact, some entomologists who study these insects have also recognized their close relationship.
The mantis is the only insect that can turn its head 180 degrees
You try to approach the mantis from behind, and you may be startled to see it turn its head to look at you. No other insect can do this. Praying mantises have a soft joint between their head and thorax that allows them to rotate their heads. This ability, along with the long face, and the forelegs that are always out in front, most of all terrify us.
As a carnivorous insect, the mantis lives mainly in many Asian countries. It has been suggested that mantises are closely related to cockroaches, grasshoppers and crickets. The mantis can observe a large area with the ability to rotate its head 180 degrees.
In addition to the large eyes, they also have 3 more small eyes in the middle to increase the ability to detect prey. This ability allows the mantis to identify predators and prey as quickly as possible to take appropriate action. In addition, this species of mantis also has excellent camouflage ability when easily disappearing in the green foliage. The mantis is well known for its cannibalism, especially the female mantis will eat the male mantis after mating.
Orchid mantis - ingenious self-defense ability
A member of the mantis family and living mainly in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asian countries, this is considered one of the best camouflaged animals in the world. On the surface, many people will find it difficult to distinguish this mantis and the petals of an orchid. In addition to being colorful like orchid petals, this mantis also has movements like petals swaying in the wind.
Their four legs look exactly like orchid petals, while their serrated forelimbs like other mantises are used in grasping prey. Orchid mantises can change to about 90 colors, between pink and brown, depending on the color of the orchid. Despite its gentle appearance, the orchid mantis is very aggressive and can cause minor injuries to humans.
Orchid mantises show some marked hermaphroditic dimorphism compared to any other mantis species, males being about half the size of females. Orchid mantises are favored by insect breeders, but they are rare and expensive. They only need a small space, foraging is the flying insects by sitting and waiting. They can change 90 colors, between pink and brown, depending on the color of the orchid. Males are said to grow faster than females, unless temperatures drop to 15-18 degrees Celsius. Females grow fastest at high temperatures and humidity between 30 and 55 degrees.
Mantis has 2 eyes but only 1 ear
A praying mantis has two large eyes, which work together to help it decode visual cues. However, this deity has only one ear located under the abdomen, near the front legs. This means that the mantis cannot distinguish the direction of sound. What it can do is detect ultrasound, or the sound produced by echolocating of bats.
Studies show that praying mantises are pretty good at avoiding bats. A flying mantis when it detects echolocating will stop, free fall, fall to the ground and hide in bushes to hide from predators.
However, not all mantises use their ears, and those that don't normally fly don't have to run away from flying predators like bats do.
The first fossil fossils of mantises date from the Cretaceous period, about 146-66 million years ago. The primitive mantis specimens lacked certain characteristics compared to today's mantises. They did not have the elongated pronotum, or long neck, like today's mantises, and they lacked the spines on their forelimbs.
The female praying mantis sometimes eats its mates
It is true that the female praying mantis will eat her lover. In some cases, female mantises will destroy their mates before they complete mating. As it turns out, a male mantis would make a perfect lover when his brain, which controls inhibition, is detached from the ventral ganglia, which controls the actual act of mating.
But most cases of mantises swallowing each other happen in the lab. In the wild, scientists believe that male mantises have a 30% chance of being swallowed alive when mating with a female.
Mantises are predators and their common prey is arthropods, in the wild they only eat live prey, but in reality they are passive lazy predators, usually lie in ambush somewhere, wait for prey to pass by and then attack suddenly.
However, they are also species with diverse eating habits, their prey can also be lizards, frogs, small birds, fish, and even their own kind.
Therefore, it is normal for the male mantis to fall prey to the female mantis. Eating this mate will help the female get more protein, this protein can be absorbed by them very low, instead, it is transferred to the egg that the male has just fertilized. In other words, this act of cannibalism helps the young mantises get their main nutrients from their ill-fated father.
Some more information about the Mantis species you may not know:
Female mantises often eat their mates while they are mating
Mantis captures their prey in the blink of an eye
Occasionally, mantises even attack hummingbirds
Ancient cultures had a belief in praying mantises
The mantis has bulging eyes and a head that can rotate 180 degrees
After eating their prey, the first thing the mantis does is wash their front legs
The mantis only eats raw meat and the main food of this species is insects
Mantises have a habit of eating cannibals.
Through the article, Toplist has provided specifically about the interesting things of mantis species. Hopefully, the above information will help you know more useful and interesting information about the animal world.
