Mantids: Mantodea - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Behavior And Reproduction, Wandering Violin Mantid (gongylus Gongylodes): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, DIET, MANTIDS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
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Mantids are found worldwide in warm and tropical climates. There are twenty-three hundred species worldwide, mostly in the tropical rainforests of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Many species are restricted to small areas, but others are found on more than one continent, having been accidentally introduced by humans to continents outside their range. Twenty species live in the United States and Canada.
Mantids will eat any small animal they can catch, including other mantids. They usually attack bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, and other insects, as well as spiders. On rare occasion they will attack small mice, lizards, frogs, and birds. They generally choose prey their own size or smaller. Right after hatching, mantid larvae (LAR-vee), or young, spend their first few weeks eating their brothers and sisters, aphids, and other small insects.
Some mantids are sold as pets and have become popular display animals in insect zoos. Another species is used extensively as a means of controlling plant pests without the use of harmful poisons. Throughout the United States people buy egg cases in the winter at nurseries and place them in their gardens to hatch in spring. However, young mantids will eat anything they can catch, including helpful insects as well as garden pests.
One species of mantid is listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as Near Threatened, or likely to become threatened in the near future. There is very little information on most mantid populations; the greatest threats to them are habitat destruction and misuse of pesticides.
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Mantids are fairly large insects, ranging in length from 0.4 to 6.7 inches (1 to 17 centimeters). The green, brown, or gray body color of mantids serves as camouflage to protect them from predators that hunt them for food. Species living in grasslands and meadows are usually pale yellowish brown or light green. Mantids found in leaf litter tend to be dark brown, while those found on or near flower…
Most mantids sit quietly and wait for prey to come within reach, but a few species actually chase down their victims. They have excellent vision and extremely quick reflexes and so are able to strike at and successfully capture insect prey in as little as one-twentieth of a second. After feeding, they always spend a great deal of time grooming. They use their forelegs to wipe their eyes and heads,…
Physical characteristics: Males measure 2.8 to 3.1 inches (7 to 8 centimeters) in length, while females are 3.1 to 3.5 inches (8 to 9 centimeters). They vary from light to dark brown in color. The head has a cone-shaped horn on top. The first section of the thorax is extremely thin and expanded into a diamond shape just before the head. All of the legs have leafy structures. The antennae of the fe…
Physical characteristics: Adults are white with pink patches on the head, forewings, and legs. Females average 2 inches (5 centimeters) in length, while males are only half the size at 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). The eyes are cone-shaped and stick out beyond the outline of the head. Their legs have leaflike projections. Geographic range: This mantid is found in Southeast Asia. Habitat: This species …
Physical characteristics: Adult males are 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) long, while the females are about 2.8 inches (7 centimeters). They use a special kind of camouflage called crypsis (KRIP-sis), with bodies that resemble not only the color of dead, dry leaves but also their shape and texture. Their bodies are light gray to dark brown with faint spots. The midsection is expanded to the sides and s…
Physical characteristics: Adult European mantid males range in length from 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 6 centimeters), while the females are 2.5 to 3.2 inches (6 to 8 centimeters). They vary in color from light green to brown. The inside of each foreleg has a distinctive bull's-eye-like spot. Geographic range: This species is distributed throughout southern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, temperate A…
Physical characteristics: The Chinese mantid is the largest species in North America, with adult females reaching 4 inches (10 centimeters) in length or more. They are green, brown, or gray, with a distinct pale green border along the edges of their forewings. Geographic range: This species is found in temperate eastern Asia, eastern United States, and California. They were deliberately introduced…
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