Praying Mantis
Name
Praying mantids get their name from the appearance of their front
legs, which they hold in a "prayerlike" manner. "Mantid"
derives from a Greek word meaning "prophet" or
"seer."
Description
Praying mantids are large insects, from one to three inches long,
with a distinctive appearance. Depending upon the species, mantids
may be green, brown or tan. They have relatively large heads borne
on a greatly lengthened prothorax and large leg segments. They are
the Popeyes of the insect world. The legs are armed with spines to
help capture and grasp prey. The middle and hind legs are slimmer.
Antennae are relatively short relative to the rest of the body.
The narrow wings are long, folded fanlike. They cover the abdomen.
Distribution
Common mantids in the East introduced, imported for their
beneficial role in consuming garden pests. In the West, there are
up to 10 different species, some native, some introduced.
Predation
Mantids grab their prey with the raptorial front legs which can
quickly shoot out and grasp a victim. The mantid’s mouth is more
grasshopper like; its small mandibles require that the insect eat
live prey like a stalk of celery. Mantids feed upon a variety of
insects, and they have even been known to capture and consume
hummingbirds.
Mating
Courtship and mating may be a hazardous undertaking for the male.
The female may grab the male and eat him from the head end. After
mating, mantids lay eggs in masses of foam. The egg case clusters
are called ootheca, and, depending upon the species, may produce
from 30 to 300 young. Young mantids emerge from the top of the egg
case the following year, using a seam which resembles a zipper.
Occasionally, parasitic wasps inject eggs into the sides of the
egg cases, and their young develop by feeding on the larvae of the
mantid. When the young mantids emerge, if there is insufficient
prey, they will resort to siblingcide.
Like their relatives the cockroaches, mantids undergo simple or
incomplete metamorphosis. There is not a caterpillar or maggot
stage. The young go through several nymphal stages in which they
resemble miniature wingless adults.
Males and females can be sexed by the number of abdominal
segments. Males have eight segments, the females, six.
Notes
There are many species of mantids worldwide. One species in
Sri Lanka
may reach 10 inches in length, and like other large species from
South America
, these large mantids may prey on insects, small birds and
reptiles. Though mantids have wings, they do not migrate. They fly
more at night, which makes them more susceptible to predation by
bats. Females lay their egg cases in the autumn, and one
generation of mantids develops each season.
