Praying mantis
A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is the common name for an insect of the order Mantodea. Often mistakenly spelled preying mantis (a tempting mistake, as they are notoriously predatory) they are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance. The word mantis derives from the Greek word mantis for prophet or fortune teller. The preferred pluralization is mantids,[1] though there is some usage of mantes or mantises. The world's largest praying mantis was recorded at 45cm (18") long, in Southern China, in 1929.
Like all insects, a praying mantis has a three segmented body, with a head, thorax and abdomen. The abdomen is elongate and covered by the wings in adults. Females have strong and large cerci. The first thoracic segment, the prothorax is elongated and from it arises the modified foreleg.
Senses
Praying mantids, with their huge compound eyes mounted on the triangular head, have a large field of vision. They use sight for detection movement of prey and turn their mobile head to bring their prey into their binocular field of view. They are able to turn their head 180 degrees for excellent vision and hearing. Their antennae are used for smell.
Habitat
Praying mantids can be found in all parts of the world with mild winters and sufficient vegetation. Praying mantids will spend most of their time in a garden, forest or other vegetated area.
Diet
Being a carnivorous insect, the mantis feeds primarily on other insects. However, it is not uncommon for larger mantids to consume small reptiles and even small mammals or birds.
To capture their prey, mantids use their camouflage to blend in with the surroundings and wait for the prey to be within striking distance. They then use their raptorial front legs to quickly snatch the victim and devour it alive.
Predators
The primary predators of the praying mantis are frogs, monkeys, larger birds, spiders and snakes. Praying mantids will also prey on each other, usually during the nymph stage and during mating (Patterson).
Defense mechanisms
When threatened, praying mantids stand tall and spread their forelegs with their wings fanning out wide and mouths open (Patterson). The fanning of the wings is used to make the mantis seem larger and to scare the opponent, with some species having bright colors and patterns on their hind wings and inner surfaces of their front legs for this purpose. If harassment persists, the mantis will then strike with their forelegs and attempt to pinch or bite.
Since praying mantids feed during the day, they do a considerable amount of flying by night. The night, however, is when bats feed, using ultrasonic sound waves to pinpoint their prey. The frequency of these sound waves indicates the location and distance of the bat's prey. According to Yager and May, praying mantids are able to hear these ultrasonic sounds and when the frequency begins to increase rapidly, indicating an approaching bat, mantids will stop flying horizontally and begin a direct, high speed nose dive towards the safety of the ground. Often this descent will be preceded by an aerial loop or spin. Other times, the entire descent will consist of a downward spiral.
Endangered status
Most North American mantids are not included among endangered species, but species in other parts of the world are under threat from habitat destruction.
Pest control
Praying mantids are not considered one of the best forms of natural control of small insects in gardens. This is because mantids are indiscriminate predators, and often feed on the small insects that are natural, and more efficient, predators of the insects that can take a heavy toll on plant life (beetles, caterpillars, etc.).
Patterson describes how gardeners will often search for ootheca and carefully move them while still connected to their holding structure and place them in the refrigerator to prevent premature hatching. The ootheca will keep the unborn nymphs alive in the refrigerator until the spring arrives and they are ready to hatch. This allows for the mantis nymphs to be born in the garden and spend their lives protecting the plants from insects that may harm the vegetation.
Lifespan
The natural lifespan of a praying mantis is about two years. In colder areas, mantids will die during the winter. In captivity, if kept correctly, and in warmer areas in the wild, mantids can live up to three years.
Pets
Praying mantids are often kept as pets, their unique behavior and generally easy rearing requirments making them popular in the exotic pet trade, rivaling tarantulas and scorpions. An average-sized insect container or fish tank will make a suitable home. They require branches to climb on, insects to hunt, and water to drink. They will drink sprayed water out of a bottle and eat crickets, widely available in pet stores. If fed too much, their abdomen can burst, killing the mantis. Hatchlings should ideally be fed on a diet of fruit flies.
Species
According to Patterson, the majority of the 1,800 species of praying mantids are found in Asia. About 20 of those species are found in North America and Europe. The Asian species as well as a few of the North American ones are native to their land. The others came from Asia among plants being shipped from one continent to the other, or deliberately introduced to act as pest control for agriculture as wth the European and Chinese mantises.
- Acanthops falcata - Venezuelan Dead Leaf mantis
- Acanthops fuscifolia - Tropical Dead Leaf
- Acanthops tuberculata - Tropical Dead Leaf
- Acromantis sp. - Boxer mantis
- Ameles decolor
- Ameles spallanzania
- Alalomantis muta - Cameroon mantis
- Asiadodis squilla - Asian shield mantis
- Blepharopsis mendica - Thistle mantis
- Brunneria subaptera - Stick mantis
- Brunneria borealis - Stick mantis
- Camelomantis sondaica
- Ceratocrania macra
- Ceratomantis saussurii
- Choeradodis rhombicollis - Tropical shield mantis
- Choeradodis stalii - Tropical shield mantis
- Cilnia humeralis
- Creobroter meleagris - Flower mantis
- Creobroter gemmatus - Indian flower mantis
- Creobroter pictipennis - Indian flower mantis
- Creobroter elongata - Flower mantis
- Deroplatys angustata - Dead Leaf mantis
- Deroplatys desiccata - Dead Leaf mantis
- Deroplatys lobata - Dead Leaf mantis
- Deroplatys truncata - Dead Leaf mantis
- Empusa fasciata
- Empusa pennata
- Eremiaphila brunneri - Common desert mantis
- Eremiaphila zetterstedti
- Euchomenella heteroptera - Twig mantis
- Gongylus gongylodes - Indian rose/Violin mantis
- Gonatista grisea - Grizzled mantis
- Heterochaeta strachani
- Hierodula membranacea - Giant Asian mantis
- Hierodula grandis - Giant Indian mantis
- Hierodula patellifera - Indo-Pacific mantis
- Hierodula parviceps - Philippine mantis
- Holaptilon pusillulum - Jumpy mantis
- Hoplocorypha sp.
- Humbertiella ceylonica
- Hymenopus coronatus - Orchid mantis
- Idolomantis diabolica - Devil's Flower mantis
- Idolomorpha madagascariensis
- Ischnomantis gigas
- Iris oratoria - Mediterranean mantis
- Liturgusa lichenalis - Lichen mantis
- Macromantis hyalina
- Mantis religiosa - European mantis
- Miomantis caffra - South African mantis
- Miomantis paykullii - Egyptian mantis
- Miomantis abyssinica - Egyptian mantis
- Odontomantis sp. - Ant mantis
- Oligonicella scudderi - Scudder's mantis
- Orthodera novaezealandiae - New Zealand mantis
- Otomantis sp. - Boxer mantis
- Oxyopsis gracilis - Peruvian mantis
- Oxyopsis peruviana - Peruvian mantis
- Oxyothespis dumonti
- Paramantis prasina
- Parasphendale agrionina - Bud-winged mantis
- Parasphendale affinis - African banded mantis
- Paratoxodera cornicollis - Giant Malaysian stick mantis
- Phyllocrania paradoxa - Ghost mantis
- Phyllovates chlorophaea
- Plistospilota guineensis
- Polyspilota aeruginosa
- Popa spurca - twig mantis
- Pseudocreobotra ocellata - Spiny flower mantis
- Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii - Spiny flower mantis
- Pseudovates arizonae - Arizona unicorn mantis
- Rhombodera basalis - Giant Malaysian shield mantis
- Rhombodera extensicollis - Giant shield mantis
- Rhombodera megaera - Giant shield mantis
- Rivetina baetica - Ground mantis
- Stagmatoptera biocellata
- Stagmomantis californica- California mantis
- Sphodromantis balachowskyi
- Stagmomantis carolina - Carolina mantis
- Stagmomantis limbata - Bordered mantis
- Stagmomantis floridensis - Florida mantis
- Sibylla pretiosa
- Tamolanica tamolana
- Tarachodes afzelii
- Tarachodula pantherina
- Theopropus elegans - Elegant mantis
- Tisma freyi
- Taumantis sigiana - Lime-green mantis
- Tenodera australasiae
- Tenodera angustipennis - Narrow-winged mantis
- Tenodera aridifolia sinensis - Chinese mantis
- Toxodera denticulata - Giant Malaysian stick mantis
- Yersiniops sophronicum - Yersin's ground mantis
- Yersiniops solitarium - Horned ground mantis
- Zoolea lobipes
For a more detailed treatment of this insect, see Mantodea.
In popular culture
- A praying mantis appeared as the cover image for New Zealand band Shihad's (previously known as Pacifier) latest album, Love Is The New Hate (2005)
- Zorak, an animated mantis from the cartoon Space Ghost.
- Manny, a character from the Disney/Pixar movie A Bug's Life, is a praying mantis.
- Mantazz, a playable character in the videogame Time Killers, is a human-sized alien that greatly resembles a praying mantis.
- In China, there is a Praying Mantis Kung Fu style ( 螳螂拳) based on the movement of the Chinese Mantis. There are northern and southern styles, but both of them have the recognizable mantis hand movement (with their long and middle fingers pointing downwards).
- In the video game Mega Man Zero 3, the boss named Deathtantz Mantisk is based on a praying mantis.
- Creators of the animated show The Simpsons have stated that character Montgomery Burns' appearance is based upon a praying mantis.
- The show Power Rangers has three mantis-based monsters: The first one in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season one (this episode also features one of the characters, Trini Kwan, practicing Praying Mantis Kung Fu), the second one in Power Rangers in Space, and the third one is the Motor Mantis in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy. Also, the villain Trakeena in Lost Galaxy, wore armor that was based after the mantis.
- The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer depicts a mantis-like creature that takes human shape and entices virgin men in order to lay its eggs. During the mating ritual the head of the male is removed. Xander Harris has a close encounter with the mantis woman and the point is brought up as a joke in future episodes.
- The Barraki Takadox from the BIONICLE story is said to resemble a praying mantis rather than a mantis shrimp.
- In the video game Metal Gear Solid, one of the main boss characters is named Psycho Mantis. He is a member of Foxhound with telepathic abilities. Despite his name, his real only correlating characteristic to the mantis is his appearance and the way his mask resembles the mantid eyes.
- In the movie Meet the Applegates, the Applegates are in fact human-sized praying mantids in disguise.
- On the TV show Big Bad Beetleborgs, the villainess Horribelle was based after the praying mantis and had two sickle swords.
- The video games Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Advance 3 both include mantis-like Badniks.
- The CGI children's cartoon Miss Spider has a mantis character as an art teacher.
- The sci-fi film The Deadly Mantis features a giant praying mantis being thawed out in the Arctic and leading a murderous rampage towards New York City.
- In an episode of the anime InuYasha, the character Miroku is seduced and then attacked by a mantis-like demon disguised as a beautiful princess.
- In Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, level 5, the hive of the mantids is a giant city of "extremely intelligent" human sized mantis creatures that plan to infest earth.
- Kamacuras is a gigantic mantis kaiju from the Godzilla film series, first appearing in Son of Godzilla and last appearing in Godzilla: Final Wars.
- In the show Kamen Rider Blade, Hajime Aikawa's rider form, Kamen Rider Chalice, has a mantis motif.
- A large mechanical praying mantis is shown on the cover of book #35 of the Goosebumps series, entitled A Shocker on Shock Street.
- In Konjiki no Gash Bell, there is a half-man, half-praying mantis character named "Mantis Cop," a sentai-like character, which Gash is a huge fan of.
- A mantis called Cicely features in the book My Family and Other Animals by the celebrated naturalist Gerald Durrell.
- During the Iran-Iraq War, US forces launched Operation Praying Mantis in response to unrestricted mining of the Persian Gulf by Iran.
References
- Walkup, Richard L. “Praying Mantis Makes Meal of a Hummer.” Bird Watcher’s Digest. 2006. Bird Watcher’s Digest. 27 October 2006. http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx.
- Insecta Inspecta. “Praying Mantis.” Insecta Inspecta World. 1 June 2004. Insecta Inspecta, Inc. 27 October 2006. http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/mantids/praying/index.html.
- The Big Zoo. “Praying Mantis.” The Big Zoo. 2006. Thebigzoo. 27 October 2006. http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Praying_Mantis.asp.
- Patterson, Kathleen J. “The Praying Mantis.” Conservationist 47.6 (1993): 30. Academic Search Premier. 31 October 2006. http://search.ebscohost.com.
- Breeding “praying mantis” in captivity. Insectstore. 14 December 2006. http://insectstore.com/praying_mantis_breeding_guidelines.php
- Yager, David, and Mike May. “Coming in on a Wing and an Ear. (Cover Story).” Natural History 102.1 (1993): 28. Academic Search Premier. 31 October 2006. http://search.ebscohost.com.
External links
<gallery>
Image:Female_mantis_devouring_male_So_Calif.jpg|Female mantis devouring male (Calif)
Image:AdultNorthAmericanRockyMountainPrayingMantis.jpg|Mature mantis from the Rocky Mountains of North America (USA)
Image:Praying_mantis_on_a_gum_tree.jpg|Mantis on a Gum tree (Australia)
Image:Australian Praying Mantis.jpg|Mantis (Melbourne, Australia)
Image:ChipequeWikipedia.jpg|Paramantis prasina seems to like Wikipedia
Image:IMGP1747 WEB.jpg|Mantis nymphs clinging to a leaf (Israel)
Image:Iris oratoria01.jpg|Iris oratoria
Image:Manthesoudan.jpg|Sudanese mantis
Image:Mantide religiosa Marius 050925.jpg|Mantis religiosa
Image:Mantis egg 2005 Spring 001.jpg|Mantis ootheca
Image:Mantis_ootheca.jpg|Mantis ootheca
Image:Mantis religiosa 01.jpg|Mantis religiosa
Image:Mantis religiosa.JPG|Mantis religiosa (Pelegrina, Guadalajara)
Image:Mantis2 6065.jpg|Carolina mantis
Image:Mantisnymph.jpg|Mantis nymph, about 4mm long (Israel)
Image:Mantispidae fg1.jpg|Mantispidae
Image:Mantodea.JPG
Image:Mantodea-1.JPG
Image:NG-PrayingMantis.jpg|An adult Chinese mantis walking on glass
Image:Praying mantis cleaning.jpg|Mantis cleaning itself
Image:Praying mantis egg pod1.jpg|Mantis ootheca
Image:Praying mantis feeding.jpg|Mantis feeding on a fly (New Zealand)
Image:Praying_mantis_india.jpg|Mantis in India
Image:Praying mantis on eucalypt.jpg|Mantis on Eucalyptus tree
Image:Praying mantis on post02.jpg
Image:Praying mantis on raspberry.jpg|Mantis on raspberry
Image:Praying Mantis.jpg|Mantis
Image:Sqeat2.JPG|Mantis eating a cricket (Philippines)
Image:Tenodera.aridifolia.jpg|Tenodera aridifolia
Image:Tinymantis.jpg|Juvenile mantis (Texas)
Image:Zorak-Mantis.png|Chinese mantis (Georgia)
Image:Praying_Mantis_001.jpg|Mantis in defense posture (Malaysia)
Image:Target.gif|Flower #9 Mantis
</gallery>
Citations
- [1] Iowa State University Department of Entomology, "Praying Mantis". [1]