Mantis insect photos. Mantis insect
There is a belief among people that the saliva of the praying mantis insect can poison a mule. Therefore, it is sometimes called the “mule killer.” Other nicknames are “soothsayer”, “prophet”.
All this arose due to the unusual appearance and behavior of this amazing insect.
Who is the praying mantis
The praying mantis is a large predatory insectThe scientific name of the insect is the common mantis. The famous animal researcher Carl Linnaeus mentions it as Mantis religiosa. From Greek, the first part is translated as “prophet”, and the second, from Latin – “religious”.
The insect is quite large, up to 5–7 cm, with an elongated, narrow body and long limbs. The wings are large and well developed, but more often they simply run on the ground than fly.
The abdomen is shaped like an egg. Body color varies. The main color is green, but it can also have a yellow tint, gray or brown. Thanks to this, it can be difficult to notice among the grass or branches.
The praying mantis is the closest relative of cockroaches, but unlike them, it is a predatory insect. It grabs prey with its front paws and eats it. When the praying mantis sits motionless, it raises and folds these legs as if praying. This is where all his nicknames came from.
Master Hunter
But this position is not at all intended for prayer. At this time he is preparing for the hunt. This is such a bloodthirsty creature that it is ready, in this outwardly submissive pose, to grab any insect running nearby.
It is this constant readiness to attack that makes the predator hold its front legs like a trap. On their inner part there are sharp serrations that tenaciously hold prey.
This is the only insect that can turn its head back. A fly, wasp, mosquito or butterfly gapes, and he’s right there. Lightning quickly grabs them into its trap paws and then slowly eats them.
Females are not afraid to grab prey much larger than themselves - frogs, lizards and even rodents!
Features of reproduction
In general, females are very aggressive, especially during the mating season. They even attack each other. The loser becomes food for the winner.
At first, the male is of interest to her only as prey. But driven by instinct, he tries in every possible way to attract her attention. To do this, the mantis performs a kind of dance in front of the female, which then ends in death for him.
The great need for protein for the formation of eggs forces the female to eat even the male. This sometimes happens right during mating - she bites off her partner’s head. But more often he does this afterwards, eating it whole.
The female lays eggs in special capsules of a protein solidified substance called ootheca. From 10 to 400 eggs lie in rows in it. Ootheca is very durable and can withstand even frosts. In some areas, the eggs remain there all winter.
Praying mantises: benefits and harms
Praying mantises provide great assistance to humans by destroying large numbers of agricultural pests. In the USA and Asian countries they are kept at home to control flies. Mantis catchers often collect oothecae and sell them to farmers as a biological weapon against harmful insects. The praying mantises living in the gardens will not allow uninvited guests to breed.
Praying mantises are predatory insects that received such an interesting name for the special “prayerful” pose they take while tracking down prey. Quite a long time ago they were classified as cockroaches due to the similarity of characteristics, but over time they were separated into a separate detachment of Bogomolovs.
External characteristics of praying mantises
There are more than 2 thousand species of praying mantises on the planet, and they all differ radically in color and lifestyle. How to determine the type of praying mantis? In terms of external features, representatives of the Bogomolov order have many similar characteristics: a small triangular head, very mobile, with well-developed eyes, a narrow body, articulated limbs.
The existing front wings, equipped with an intricate pattern, are often used by insects for protection; in case of approaching danger, they open them wide, thereby scaring away the enemy. Transparent rear wings are required for flight. Sometimes completely wingless or short-winged specimens are found. How to determine what species praying mantises are?
Insect specificity
The most specific feature of such a unique insect is its color, which matches the color of individual elements of its habitat: stones, grass, flowers, tree leaves. The most common praying mantises are yellow and brown and green in color, which accounts for 80% of their total number. It is almost impossible to see a motionless mantis in the natural environment. An insect can only reveal its presence by movement.
The mantis moves slowly, but in case of danger it is able to very quickly move to a safe distance and freeze in place again. Because the favorite pose of such a unique insect is expectant. Like spiders, praying mantises are ambushers, ready to wait patiently for days on end for an unwary mosquito.
Praying mantises lead a solitary lifestyle. They are more active during the day, as potential victims are tracked visually. It is precisely because of the long wait that the overwhelming number of insects have, and some specimens have, a special body shape. For example, species of praying mantises that live in grass are painted green and resemble a blade of grass; brown-colored insects look like dry twigs. In the praying mantis Choerododis stalii, tiny spots on the body imitate damage to the leaf blade of the plant. Tropical species of mantises that wait for their prey in flowers have a curved abdomen and flat lobes on their feet, reminiscent of flower petals.
It is especially striking in its adaptability to natural colors, which at a young age is white, but as it matures it becomes pink, completely indistinguishable from a flower.
Mantis: the most common species
The most common are
In Russia, species of such insects are found mostly in steppe regions, as well as in southern Siberia, the North Caucasus, the Far East, South Africa, Central Asia and Kazakhstan. The tree mantis of the genus Hierodula and the spotted-winged mantis (Iris polystictica) also live there.
In the southern regions of Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Empusa mantis has adapted, characterized by its large size (about 6.5 cm in length), a pointed triangular head and a long protruding outgrowth in front.
Preferring open bushy spaces, it is most active in the dark. The larvae appear in the summer and immediately switch to feeding on butterflies and fillies. In the southern regions of Russia, a praying mantis from the genus Bolivaria is often found.
By the way, bolivarians, spotted-winged mantises and empusas in some places become rare representatives of the animal world due to the destruction of dense herbs when plowing steppe lands.
Desert species of mantises, whose names are difficult for the average person to remember, are characterized by their small size and similarity to ants in the process of movement. Prominent representatives are rivetina (Rivetina and Armena).
Habitat
The praying mantis can live both on the upper tiers of trees and shrubs, and at the very surface of the earth, in the grass. Thanks to its well-developed wings, the insect can fly, and only males fly. Given enough food, a praying mantis can live in a tree for the rest of its life.
Being heat-loving by nature, mantises feel most comfortable in the tropical and subtropical zones. It is there, in humid forests, that the largest number of varieties of such insects is found. In cold climates, predators tend to inhabit the warmest regions: dry meadows and steppes.
Nutritional Features
Almost all species of mantises feed on insects; representatives of the tropics prefer lizards and frogs. In a day, the praying mantis is able to eat 7 small cockroaches, spending about half an hour chewing each one. In the process of eating, he is consistent: first he chews the soft parts, and then moves on to the harder ones. The norm of life for them is cannibalism, which sometimes manifests itself at the most inopportune moment.
It has been noticed that after mating, it often eats its chosen one. In order not to end up in the stomach of his lady, the partner performs a ritual dance before the act of intercourse, setting the female up for a peaceful mood.
Mating of tropical mantises occurs year-round; species of temperate mantises unite in a single impulse in the autumn. The female is capable of laying up to four hundred eggs several times. Choose any suitable surface for the masonry: grass stems, tree branches, sand. The female dips each clutch into a foamy mass, which, when hardened, forms a gray, brown or sand-colored capsule. Egg maturation lasts from 3 weeks to six months. In temperate climate species, the eggs survive the winter. Mantis nymphs differ from adult insects only in the absence of wings; the body shape is exactly the same, as is the gluttony. Adult individuals develop very quickly and in the process of growing up can survive about fifty molts.
Intimidate the enemy
Praying mantises are peace-loving insects, but in the face of approaching danger they take an unfriendly “hunting” pose. To make them more intimidating, they can make sounds: rustle their wings, click their legs. If this does not have any effect on the enemy, they fly away or rush at the enemy and bite him. Moreover, in an attack on the enemy, in an attempt to prick him, he puts forward his grasping legs. Chameleons, snakes, and birds are considered enemies of praying mantises. Today, praying mantises are becoming increasingly popular and sought-after animals in home insectariums.
Arthropod insects from the order Mantises received their Russian name due to the fact that their forelimbs are similar to human arms, bent in the hands.
While in ambush, they take a wait-and-see attitude. In the photo of praying mantises you can see this behavioral feature. This posture is associated with the position of the body of a person reading a prayer.
Description of insects
These arthropod insects have an elongated body with a triangular head that rotates around its axis. Mantises notice enemies ready to attack them from behind.
Look what a praying mantis looks like, the photo shows the complex structure of its bulging eyes. They are located on the sides of the head; the insect also has 3 additional eyes.
Many segments form antennae. The mouthparts of the gnawing type are directed downward.
A special feature is the pronotum, which expands upward. The body consists of 10 segments. On the latter there is a pair of appendages that serve as olfactory organs.
Most varieties of mantises have wings and can fly. The front pair of wings, narrower than the rear, are used as elytra.
The wider pair of wings at the rear may be brightly colored and even patterned. In addition, there are praying mantises without wings, similar to larvae.
Insects have well-developed forelimbs. The tarsi have 5 segments and 2 large claws. In addition to the tarsus, the limb includes the tibia, coxa, femur, and trochanter. The femur and tibia have spines.
During the eating process, the mantis holds the victim between the lower leg and thigh. The other legs of the insect have a typical structure for arthropods. The praying mantis breathes through the tracheal system.
The female praying mantis is larger in size than the male.
There are species that reach 16-17 cm in length, but there are also varieties no more than 5 mm.
The coloring of the body has a camouflage character. The color literally blends with the environment.
Some representatives of praying mantises resemble leaves, sticks or flowers, others are colored like tree bark, lichens or ashes that are carried by the wind after a fire.
Insects can have different colors: green, brownish, yellow and even contrasting. The color of the same individual may change after molting.
Enemies of arthropod insects
Praying mantises can become prey for snakes, chameleons, bats and birds. Having encountered an enemy, the insect tries to scare the attacker.
The praying mantis adopts a terrifying pose and makes terrifying sounds. But when the enemy turns out to be stronger, he flies away.
How long does a praying mantis live?
Each species has its own life expectancy. It can vary from 2 to 11 months.
Natural habitat
Praying mantises are found in most Asian and European countries in the south and central parts. Insects can be found in Africa, South and North America, as well as Australia.
Praying mantises thrive in tropical and subtropical climates. Insects live in steppes, deserts and meadows. The only reason they leave their habitat is lack of food.
Most species of mantises are active during the daytime.
What do praying mantises eat?
These arthropods are predators, so they mainly feed on other insects. Predators hunt flies, mosquitoes, bees, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles and cockroaches.
The largest representatives of this order attack small amphibians, birds and rodents.
How do praying mantises reproduce?
In insects, the transformation cycle is not complete. Mantises are characterized by sexual demorphism. Those that live in the tropics breed year-round. For inhabitants of the temperate climate zone, the breeding season begins with the onset of autumn.
Males look for females to mate with. They dance a ritual dance so that their partner does not see them as her food. In order for offspring to appear, the process of fertilization is required.
When a female praying mantis lays unfertilized eggs, they become nymphs.
Often the male dies after fertilization. The partner eats it, thereby replenishing its supply of nutrients.
There are varieties in which the male praying mantis remains alive after fertilization.
The female lays eggs on trees or tall grass. She has to squeeze them out of her ovipositor.
With the help of a sticky secretion from special glands, it protects fertilized eggs, which end up in a kind of capsule. The female, depending on the variety, can lay 10-400 eggs.
The capsule or edema can be of various shades from light yellow to gray. After laying eggs, the females soon die. Praying mantis larvae hatch from eggs at varying intervals - from 3 weeks to 6 months.
Photo of a praying mantis
This is not surprising, because the insect is very aggressive and even attacks its relatives. Even during mating, the female praying mantis is known to eat the male. In this regard, the question arises, what differences does the praying mantis insect have, why is this representative of arthropod dangerous and useful for humans? Does its size matter? After all, if we take flies and mosquitoes as an example, it becomes clear that even a tiny creature can cause serious harm to health. Thus, mosquitoes spread malaria and other serious diseases. Praying mantises are not small by insect standards. Different species reach from four to nine centimeters in length! Add to this the ability to camouflage and the habits of a predator - there is something to worry about.
Why does a female praying mantis eat the male during mating??
The breeding season for praying mantises occurs from August to September. Males go in search of dangerous girlfriends, but family happiness is not expected for predatory insects. The female eats the male directly during mating, starting from the head. After all, the nerve nodes on the abdomen are responsible for the sexual process. Experts have studied this behavior of praying mantises.
In the early stages of research into the biology of these insects, scientists were of the opinion that the female behaved in such a way as to increase the amount of sperm she received from the agonizing male mantis.
Modern entomologists have come to the conclusion that this version is erroneous. After careful research, it became clear that the female praying mantis devours the male only in order to obtain an additional source of proteins for the development of eggs.
Why is it believed that the female praying mantis necessarily eats the male during mating? This does not always happen. It is known that especially cautious males are able to complete their mission and quickly get out of the sight of their predatory friend.
Can a praying mantis bite a person??
Young praying mantises behave more modestly than adults, do not attack large prey and do not even try to bite a person. The insects do not pose a serious threat, but they can injure with their claws. An adult can easily survive such a nuisance, but it is better to protect a small child from meeting an aggressive praying mantis. The predator even hunts small birds and mammals if they were careless to disturb his peace.
Can a praying mantis bite an adult when it encounters it? Of course, such a possibility exists. However, children are eager to explore the world around them and have a greater chance of encountering dangerous insects. It is better to keep very young children away from this creature to prevent pain. Don't frighten kids too much with the praying mantis. In the forest or steppe there are much more dangerous creatures: poisonous snakes, stinging wasps and infection-carrying rodents.
Benefits of the praying mantis
Praying mantises are widely used by gardeners to control pests. Because of their omnivorous nature, they quickly deal with all the inhabitants of the garden or garden, saving plants and vegetables from death. These insects have become faithful allies of humans in the agricultural sector. However, the main advantage of praying mantises is also its disadvantage. The fact is that along with pests, beneficial insects, such as bees, also die in their paws.
The insect mantis, what makes it dangerous and useful for humans is its aggressive gluttony. It bites furiously, fighting all living creatures, it is useful as an entomophage, destroying garden pests. In any case, the insect cannot but attract the attention of both scientists and ordinary people.
Well, first of all, why “mantis”? The name is quite strange, to be sure. The name of the insect was not invented by anyone, but by Carl Linnaeus himself, the founder of the entire biological table, a great mind. So, when he finally paid attention to the praying mantis, he exclaimed: “Tja, det ser ut som på mantis, för fan!”, which translated from Swedish means “Well, it looks like a praying mantis, damn!”
If you look at a praying mantis, you can really see that the pose of this insect is similar to the pose of a praying person. That is why Linnaeus gave the name Mantis religiosa or “religious priest”, in our opinion.
As for official judgments about the praying mantis, they are as follows. Praying mantises are not just a type of insect, but an entire suborder, with many species. The length of the praying mantis is about 5 cm. In American films, praying mantises sometimes reach five meters in length.
The color of the praying mantis varies from green to brown. The praying mantis has wings, but it rarely uses them, I’ll tell you why later. Females, for example, use their wings only in exceptional cases. Until a certain point, scientists even believed that the female’s wings were necessary only for intimidation. Then, after observing, they finally realized that the female could fly. True, they still don’t understand why praying mantises need to fly.
Well, not that much later. I actually wanted to reveal all of Mantis' cards at the end, but I can't wait to talk about Mantis' origins now. Official scientific opinions about the origin of the praying mantis are extremely uninteresting. All the same nonsense: the origin of life in water, the first amphibians, arthropods, insects, modifications that led to the development of the praying mantis, blah, blah, blah.
There is also an unofficial version of the origin. It is so obvious that even a child will agree with it, unlike inert scientists. To truly understand the praying mantis, it is enough to look at the face of the praying mantis for a couple of minutes.
Here, watch for two minutes, try to understand.
Do you see? I am sure that you also understood the whole truth, namely that the praying mantis is a creature of unearthly origin. It only looks like an insect, but if you look at it more closely, a version of alien origin immediately comes to mind.
Do not rush to accept the skeptical side of scientists, let's look at some facts together.
Again, let's take coloring. I already said that it varies, but I didn’t say how much. It varies so much that it is impossible to say definitely what color the praying mantis is. Of course, we are used to thinking that the praying mantis is green. This is true, but the mantis is green only when it sees leaves. Since scientists, in their own foolishness, continue to look for praying mantises only on leaves, they have no idea about the ability of the praying mantis to choose any color they please.
How about this coloring?
Look around you and remember that praying mantises are everywhere. They disguise themselves so that we don’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist, right? Look carefully, perhaps the praying mantis is hiding among your office papers or sitting right on your brand new iPhone. Or maybe he was hiding in an indoor flower.
Don't forget to look in the barn.
Another fact that is known to many. No, I can’t talk about him calmly. The fact is that after sex, the female eats her partner. Do you think this is normal? Imagine a herd of cows. They graze and eat grass peacefully. Then the young bull comes, moo-moo, all that. Here he is climbing on his love, here is sex. And then! The cow turns around and eats the bull whole! One, one, and it's done. And then he continues to peacefully eat grass.
If this is not enough for you, then I will continue. Not only do females eat males after sex. This can be understood: vitamins, nutrients necessary for the development of the mantis... But how can we understand the fact that before sex, the female bites off the male’s head? Before sex, not after. Imagine a herd of cows. However, it’s not necessary, you have no idea. A headless bull on a cow... Really, you shouldn’t even think about it.
In fact, the female does not always bite off the head and does not always eat the male. That is, this is an optional condition. And this only adds new questions like “What’s the point then?!” Scientists keep silent about these questions, while agreeing that in earthly nature this is an exceptional case.
This act of cannibalism inspired not only me. For example, one Frenchman Marcel Rolland wrote about it like this:
“I will tell you below how the praying mantis devours its victims, but I must say that this drama, played out in the mysterious, apparently serene canopy of a hedge, was for me my first meeting with the Relentless. Thus I learned the terrible law of force to which the world is subject.”
There he said a lot more, one might even say that the praying mantis shook his psyche.
Scientists differ so widely in their assessments of this act that they sometimes go too far in their reasoning. So one of the scientists proved the thesis that the very fact of biting and nibbling is not so new in nature. Even among people you can find analogies. In short, I wrote all these words just to quote the words of this scientist:
Myths and folklore do not remain in debt: with their data they confirm the material of individual imagination. First of all, in the North Asian and North American regions there are widespread myths about women with toothed vaginas who kill, cutting off the penis, those who dare to have sexual intercourse with them.
Friends, I will take a short break and then continue. The devouring female praying mantises do not allow me to just pick up and continue my story.
Of course, there will be skeptics who will say “oh well! An ordinary insect! But it's not that simple. Remember the cartoon about kung fu panda? So, there, among the kung fu masters, along with the tiger and the monkey, there was a praying mantis. An unheard of honor for a small insect, don’t you think?
The fact is that the Chinese were among the first to realize that something was wrong with the praying mantis. Just in case, they began to praise him. They not only drew a praying mantis, this is not so strange, especially for the Chinese, they came up with a whole style of martial art - the praying mantis style. Not even a style, but a whole direction of styles, including: “Plum Blossom Mantis”, “Seven Star Mantis”, “Six Coordination Mantis Boxing” and other equally funny names.
We must give credit to the Chinese for understanding the true nature of the praying mantis.
Mantises have wings, but they rarely use them. They do not need them for hunting; mantises have other methods of hunting. They also do not use flight for defense, as they are well camouflaged. Thus, wings are not needed for daily activities. It can be assumed that wings are necessary for migration, but nothing is known about flocks of flying mantises.
Perhaps the answer to this fact lies in one of the songs:
I read in one book,
That when it gets bad,
And an ice ax and a saw will rise above the world
They will be removed from the branch
And they will excite you and me,
Under tight wings.
Why do praying mantises have such a strong influence on people’s consciousness? And they really have a strong influence, all over the world. I already talked about the Chinese with their praying mantis style. Other peoples also had special ideas about this insect.
Thus, in Africa there is still a cult of the praying mantis, which is considered a god and founder of the worlds. In Europe they also paid special attention to it. Attitudes towards the praying mantis are ambiguous; in some cultures it is extolled, in others it is considered a demonic creature.
Perhaps the praying mantis earned such attention through its ability to look. The praying mantis is perhaps the only insect that has the ability to move its head in the direction of its gaze. That is, unlike other insects, he not only sees, but also looks.
Generally speaking, the number of beliefs and myths associated with the praying mantis is amazing.
Another interesting fact. The praying mantis gets along just fine without a head and can even have sex. But that's not all. Not only can he walk and balance without a head, but without a head he can pretend to be dead. That is, being dead, he can pretend to be dead.
This incredible feature, as well as the ability to perfectly change its appearance, prompted one African tribe to create a myth about how the praying mantis turned into a dead antelope. The hunters found him and prepared to cut him with stone knives. But even then the mantis remained motionless. Then they started cutting pieces off the antelope. And only after this, the antelope again turned into a praying mantis. It was an elder pilgrim, he collected all his cut-off parts, attached them to himself and began to run with his paws raised (well, you know how he can do that), grab and eat children.
This is such a mythical African horror.