mantis
- Also called:
- mantid, praying mantid, or praying mantis
- Related Topics:
- Mantis religiosa
- Mantis
- Stagmomantis
- Chinese mantis
mantis, (order Mantodea), any of approximately 2,000 species of large, typically slow-moving insects that are characterized by front legs with enlarged femurs (upper portion) that have a groove lined with spines into which the tibia (lower portion) presses. Using their spined front legs, mantises, which feed exclusively on living insects, seize prey in a viselike grip. Mantises are considered beneficial insects for their voracious consumption of garden pests.
Physical description
As insects, mantises have a body formed of a head, thorax, and abdomen, and six legs. The triangular head is easily turned to face in different directions and features a pair of large, compound eyes and three supplemental ocelli eyes. Since the mantis diet consists almost entirely of insects, vision is critically important and is unusually well developed. Their specialized front legs have hinged principal leg segments for seizing and holding prey. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings.
Natural history
Usually found among vegetation, a mantis may be disguised to resemble green or brown foliage, a dried leaf, a slender twig, a lichen, a brightly colored flower, or an ant. This camouflage hides it from predators and also makes it inconspicuous as it stalks or awaits victims. When alarmed the mantis assumes a “threatening” attitude by raising and rustling its wings (if it is a winged species) and often displays bright warning coloration. Most species can run swiftly—both to escape predators and to catch prey—and running is common in mantises that live on the ground, in deserts, or on tree trunks in the tropics. However, the majority of mantises are ambush predators and do not actively pursue their prey.
The female, which often eats the male during mating, lays eggs in clusters of less than 10 to more than 300. Usually they are laid in regular layers surrounded by a viscous quick-drying liquid that provides a light but tough protective covering. The cocoonlike capsules (oothecae) of most mantises have a distinctive shape and size. Although most mantis species attach oothecae to vegetation, these egg cases may be attached to rocks in some environments or placed in grooves in the sand and covered over in the desert. The nymphs, which lack wings but otherwise closely resemble adults, all emerge at the same time. The nymphs are often cannibalistic.
Major genera and species
The classification of this group has varied greatly among entomologists. It was formerly placed as a of the order Orthoptera or sometimes with the cockroaches, which also produce an ootheca, in the defunct order Dictyoptera. Many modern treatments have elevated the group to its own order, Mantodea; the family Mantidae is the order’s largest family.
The majority of mantis species are tropical or subtropical. Representative European genera are Mantis (M. religiosa is the most widespread), Ameles, Iris, and Empusa. North American genera include Stagmomantis (the Carolina mantis [S. carolina] is widely distributed), Litaneutria (the agile ground mantis [L. minor], a small western species, is the sole mantis native to Canada), and Thesprotia and Oligonicella (both very slender forms). The European mantis (M. religiosa), Mediterranean mantis (Iris oratoria), narrow-winged mantis (Tenodera angustipennis), and Chinese mantis (T. aridifolia sinensis) have been introduced into North America. The latter species, native to many parts of eastern Asia, is the largest mantis found in North America, ranging from 7 to 10 cm in length.
Cultural significance
The name mantis, which means “diviner,” was given to this insect by the ancient Greeks because they believed that it had supernatural powers. Its name, mantid, or “soothsayer,” also reflects this belief. Numerous myths and legends are associated with the mantis because it can remain motionless or sway gently back and forth, with head raised and front legs outstretched in an apparent attitude of supplication. According to superstition, the brown saliva of a mantis can cause blindness in a human, and a mantis, if eaten, can kill a horse or mule. The common name praying mantis and the scientific name Mantis religiosa, together with many other names such as Gottesanbeterin (German), prie-Dieu (French), prega-Diou (Provençal), and the West Indian “god-horse,” suggest piety. The names devil’s horse and mule killer also are used. Since all mantises are ferocious carnivores, “preying” rather than “praying” may better describe them.
