Mantis

Mantodea Temporal range:Cretaceous- Recent
European mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Subclass:	Pterygota
Infraclass:	Neoptera
Superorder:	Dictyoptera
Order:	Mantodea

ThegenusChoeradodishas laterally expandedthoraxes:camouflagebyleafmimicry.

Close up image of a mantis' face (Archimantis latistyla) showing its compound eyes and mouthparts. The structure of the compound eye creates the illusion of a small pupil.

AMantis(orderMantodea) is a type ofinsect.They are usually known aspraying mantidsbecause of their prayer-like stance.

The group contains about 2,300 species. They occur intemperateandtropicalhabitats.Most are in are in the family Mantidae, and are calledMantids.

In Europe, the name "praying mantis" refers to only a single species,Mantis religiosa.They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick insects).

The closest relatives of mantids are the order Blattodea (cockroachesandtermites), and these two groups together are ranked as the SuperorderDictyoptera.

Life habit

The foreleg modifications

Mantids are notable for their hunting abilities. They arepredators,and theirdietusually consists of living insects, includingfliesandaphids.Larger species have been known to prey on smalllizards,frogs,birds,snakes,and evenrodents.

Most mantids areambushpredators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly.

Prey are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs ('raptorial' legs); the first thoracic segment, theprothorax,is commonly elongated and flexibly articulated, allowing for greater range of movement of the front limbs while the remainder of the body remains more or less still.

The movement of the head is also remarkably flexible. It gives nearly 300 degrees of movement in some species. This allows for a great range of vision (theircompound eyeshave a largebinocular field of vision) without having to move the rest of the body. As their hunting relies heavily on vision, they are mainlydiurnal,but many species fly at night, when there is less chance of being taken by birds.

Mantids are masters ofcamouflageand most species make use of protective colouration to blend in with thefoliageorsubstrate.This helps to avoidpredatorsthemselves, and to better snare their victims.They not only blend with the foliage, but mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones. Some species inAfricaandAustraliaare able to turn black after a molt following a fire in the region to blend in with the fire ravaged landscape (firemelanism).

Mantids bite, but have novenom,and are not dangerous to humans. They are not chemically protected; nearly any largepredatoryanimal will eat a mantis if it is able to detect it. Mantids are generally quite aggressive towards one another, in fact, and most species are readilycannibalisticwhen given the opportunity.