Mantis eggs. praying mantis insect

As you know, praying mantises are considered one of the most bloodthirsty insects. Besides the fact that they eat flies, butterflies, dragonflies, they also eat their own kind.

1. The courtship ritual of praying mantises deserves special attention. For example, the Chinese praying mantis lures the female with a passionate dance.

2. According to scientists, mating in praying mantises can last 24 hours.

3. There is an opinion that after mating, the female always bites off the head of her partner. However, this is not entirely true. Sometimes she lets him go in peace. What it depends on is known only to the female praying mantis.

4. But, if the male praying mantis after mating hesitates or behaves in a wrong way, then his head should not be demolished.

5. By autumn, the female begins to feed very tightly, from which her stomach swells and she becomes slower. So she prepares to lay eggs.

6. Mating is not a necessary process for all types of praying mantises. Some females lay their own eggs, producing mini copies of themselves.

7. To lay eggs, the female must find a flat surface. It can be a branch, a leaf, or some other secluded place. Then she secretes a special foamy substance, on which she lays her eggs.

8. After laying eggs, the female carefully checks each egg if it is well glued to the foam. Foam in this case plays the role of protection. Females of some praying mantis species stay close to the eggs, guarding them.

9. As a rule, small praying mantises hatch early in the morning. Freed from the cocoon, they crawl out of one of the valves of the foamy substance.

What do you think: who will be discussed in this story? About an insect called the praying mantis. Why was this six-legged so called, and what is the praying mantis insect - let's try to figure it out ...

Praying mantises are included in the cockroach order, they form a species consisting of approximately 3 thousand species. The insect got its name because of the manner in which the front legs are folded in a special way, which makes it look like a praying person.

Appearance of the praying mantis

- large insects growing up to 11 centimeters in length.

This insect can have a different color - the color of the praying mantis is fully consistent with its habitat, it can match the color of leaves, grass and stones.

In a stationary state, the praying mantis is very difficult to detect. The predator moves slowly, but if he is in danger, he becomes swift. After he is at a safe distance, he freezes.

The wings of these insects are well developed, so they fly well, but only males use this method of movement, and they fly at night, and during the day they can, occasionally, flit from one branch to another.

The head of the mantis has a triangular shape, while it is quite mobile. This insect has well-developed eyes, so it sees perfectly. The predator monitors the situation and reacts with lightning speed to any moving object. He begins to approach the victim, and then grabs it with his strong limbs. After that, it remains only to slowly eat the prey.

Habitat of praying mantises

These insects are common in parts of the world such as: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and America.

Mantis lifestyle and diet

Praying mantises are predators, their main food is classmates, i.e. - other insects. The largest individuals can attack, and even birds. The predator eats its prey slowly, the feeding process lasts about 3 hours, and food is digested for a week.

Praying mantises hunt small insects from ambush. Due to the protective coloration, the predator is very difficult to notice. He just waits for some insect to crawl past him and then grabs him. And praying mantises pursue large victims when they catch up, jump on their backs, grab their heads, and slowly begin to eat.

The praying mantis, despite the "pious" name, is a real predator.

Praying mantises only react to moving targets and are not interested in stationary objects. This predator is incredibly voracious. An adult praying mantis eats up to 7 cockroaches 1 cm in size at a time. It takes 30 minutes to eat each victim. First, the insect eats soft tissues, and then proceeds to hard ones. From the cockroach, the praying mantis leaves only stubs of limbs and wings. Softer insects can be eaten whole by the praying mantis.

As a rule, the insect chooses sedentary life, if there is enough food, then the praying mantis can live on one tree throughout his life. Praying mantises are most often located on the branches of trees and shrubs, but can also freeze in the grass or right on the ground.

Praying mantises are very prolific creatures.

Mantis breeding

These insects breed at the end of summer. In our country, common praying mantises mate in August - September. In 50% of cases, during mating, the female eats the male. Females are much larger than males, they need protein, so males are part of the diet for them.

The female praying mantis lays 100-300 eggs. She glues the eggs with a special adhesive that hardens and forms a capsule. These capsules are called ootheca. The capsule has a solid structure, it sticks to plants or stones and reliably protects the egg from external factors. Optimum temperature and humidity are maintained inside the capsule. In the ooteca, eggs do not die even when the temperature drops to -18 degrees.

The protective "stand" of the insect gave it its name - the paws are folded like those of a prayer.

In temperate climates, eggs overwinter, and in warm areas incubation period lasts a month, after which the larvae hatch from the eggs. The larvae have small spikes on their surface, thanks to which they crawl out of the capsule. In freedom, the larvae molt. After shedding their skin, they take on the resemblance to adults, but only without wings. The larvae are very mobile, they have a protective color.

In most regions, the larvae hatch in April-May. For 2.5 months they have to shed 5 times, only after that they turn into adult insects. The puberty process takes 2 weeks, and then the males look for females to mate with. The life expectancy of praying mantises is 2 months. Males die first, after mating they stop looking for prey, become lethargic and die. Males live to the maximum until September, and females - until October.

The praying mantis is an arthropod insect that belongs to the mantis order (lat. Mantodea, Mantoptera).

The origin of the international name "Mantodea" is not known for certain. This detachment received a Russian definition due to some similarity of the front limbs of an insect with human arms bent at the elbow joint. In this position, the praying mantis is in ambush and waits for prey, shaking its head from time to time. Because of this feature of behavior, as well as due to associative perception, an insect resembling a person who reads a prayer got its name.

Taken from: artfile.me

Mantis - description, structure, characteristics. What does a praying mantis look like?

Almost all praying mantises have an elongated body of a characteristic structure that distinguishes them from other arthropod insects. The movable praying mantis head has an almost triangular shape and is able to rotate almost around its axis. Thanks to this, the insect can notice the enemy approaching from behind.

The convex large compound eyes of the praying mantis have a complex structure and are located far from each other along the lateral edges of the head.

In addition to them, the insect has 3 simple eyes that are located above the base of the antennae.

The antennae of the praying mantis consist of numerous segments and, depending on species affiliation insects are filamentous, feathery or comb-like.

The mouth apparatus of praying mantises is of the gnawing type and is directed downwards.

characteristic feature insects of this order is that the pronotum, expanded in the upper part, almost never overlaps the head.

Soft, slightly flattened abdomen, consists of 10 segments.

The last segment of the abdomen ends with long paired appendages of numerous segments, cerci, which are the organs of smell.

In males, the cerci are better developed than in females.

Cerci and ovipositor of the female praying mantis Stagmomantis carolina. Photo Credit: Kaldari, Public Domain

In almost all species of mantis, both the front and rear pair of wings are well developed, thanks to which the insect can fly. It is noteworthy that the narrow and dense wings of the front pair serve as a kind of elytra that protect the hind wings. The rear pair of wings is wide, has many membranes and is folded like a fan.

Often, praying mantis wings are brightly colored or have a specific pattern on them. But there are also varieties of praying mantis, completely devoid of wings and resembling larvae in their appearance. Such, for example, is the earth mantis (lat. Geomantis larvoides).

AT thoracic region of these insects, the front pair of limbs is especially well developed. Each of them consists of an elongated coxa, a trochanter, a femur, which is slightly longer than the coxa in size, a tibia and a tarsus, consisting of 5 segments.

In its lower part, the thigh is studded with large sharp spikes arranged in 3 rows, the lower leg also has spikes, though smaller ones, and at the end of the lower leg there is a sharp needle-shaped hook. The last segments of the tarsi end in two rather large claws.

Along the entire length of the thigh there is a groove into which the lower leg is inserted, like the blade of a folding knife that retracts into the handle. Praying mantises capture their prey and hold it between the thigh and lower leg until the process of eating food is over.

The middle and hind pairs of legs have a structure typical of arthropods.

Forelimbs of the praying mantis Otomantis scutigera. Photo by: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0

The circulatory system of praying mantises is rather primitively developed, which is a consequence of the way they breathe. The body is supplied with oxygen through a complex branched system of tracheae, which are connected to spiracles (stigmas) lying on several segments of the abdomen, as well as located on the middle and posterior parts of the body. Expansions (air sacs) can form in the trachea, which increase ventilation of the entire respiratory system.

Sexual differences in praying mantises are quite pronounced and are manifested in the size of individuals: females are always much larger than males.

On the left is a female, on the right is a male common praying mantis. Left photo author: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0. Right photo credit: Nicolas Weghaupt, Public domain

Some praying mantises can reach a length of 17 cm, such as the species Ischnomantis gigas, which lives in Africa, or Heterochaeta orientalis, which is also called the Eastern heterochaete and reaches a size of 16 cm.

Other praying mantises are very small in size and grow no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length - such, for example, are crumb praying mantises.

The body color of the praying mantis depends on environment because it is camouflage.

There are praying mantises that look like green leaves, flowers or sticks, other species imitate tree bark, lichens, or even the black color of ashes after a fire.

The species Gonatista grisea is almost indistinguishable from the whitish growths on the tree. Photo by: Yaroslav Kuznetsov, CC BY-SA 4.0

Deroplatys lobata is very similar to a brown leaf. Photo by: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 3.0

The species Choeradodis rhombicollis resembles a green leaf of a tree. Photo by: Benjamint444, GFDL 1.2

Humbertiella sp. disguised as tree bark. Photo credit: L. Shyamal, CC BY-SA 3.0

It is unlikely that you will notice the Pogonogaster tristani praying mantis against the background of green moss. Photo by: Leonardo Miranda Di Giambattista, CC BY-SA 3.0

Most praying mantises are green, yellow or brown, although there are species with brighter and more contrasting colors.

It is noteworthy that the colors of individuals of the same species can vary quite a lot, and also change after each molt.

Metallyticus splendidus shimmers with different colors and has a metallic sheen in color. Photo credit: 김준석

Mantid Enemies

When attacked by an enemy (, birds, or) or having met with a rival relative, the praying mantises try to scare the enemy. They take a rather frightening pose, spreading their wings like a fan, pushing forward grasping paws and lifting up the end of their abdomen. This posture can be complemented by threatening sounds. For example, the Sarawak praying mantis (lat. Hestiasula sarawaka) rustles its wings loudly and makes a clicking sound created by the contact of the upper part of the forelimb with the thigh. If the enemy turns out to be much stronger, the praying mantis prefers to retreat and flies away, however, seeing his advantage, he bravely confronts the enemy and often turns out to be the winner in such a fight.

Mantis lifespan

The life expectancy of a praying mantis depends on the species and ranges from 2 to 11 months. In captivity, some species can live up to 1.5 years.

Where does the praying mantis live?

The distribution area of ​​praying mantises is quite wide and captures almost all countries of Asia, South and Central Europe, as well as some countries of Africa, South America. It includes Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Malta, Syria, India, China and Iran. Populations are noted in Yemen and Turkey, Malaysia and Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Israel. Some mantises live on the territory of Russia, in Belarus, Tatarstan, Poland, Germany. On merchant ships, these insects were introduced and took root in Australia and in North America.

In the conditions of the tropics and subtropics, praying mantises live not only in humid forests, where they settle in the branches of trees or shrubs, but also in rocky deserts warmed by the sun. In Europe, these insects are common in the steppe regions, as well as in spacious meadows.

Praying mantises rarely change their habitat, and if potential food is present around them in sufficient quantities, then they will never leave the selected plant or individual branch. Active movements are resorted to during the mating period, when there is a lack of food supply in the habitat or, in rare cases, when attacked. natural enemies: birds, chameleons, snakes or relatives of a larger size. Almost all species of praying mantis lead a diurnal active lifestyle.

What does a praying mantis eat?

The praying mantis is a predator and its diet usually consists of other small and large insects. Representatives of this detachment are not averse to feasting on gaping, or. Large individuals can attack and eat small amphibians (, geckos), medium-sized birds and even small rodents.

These predators ambush their prey. They grab prey with their forelimbs and hold it until they have completely eaten it. Powerful jaws and structure oral apparatus allow these insects to gnaw in pieces even big booty.

Types of praying mantises, photos and names

In total there are more than 2000 species of praying mantis. Below is a description of several varieties.

• common praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa)

It lives in most countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Its distribution area includes Portugal and Spain, Italy and France, Turkey, Germany, Austria and Poland, as well as numerous islands. mediterranean sea. This species is found on the territory of Sudan and Egypt, in Israel and Iran, as well as in Russia, from the southern regions to the Primorsky Territory. Introduced populations have been noted in Australia and North America. The common praying mantis is a rather large insect, the size of which reaches 4.8-7.6 cm in females and 4.0-6.1 cm in males. Individuals are colored green or brown with a yellow tint. Transparent praying mantis wings, trimmed with green or brown edging, are well developed. The rather long abdomen is egg-shaped. hallmark of this species is a black spot, which is located on both coxae of the front pair of legs from the inside. Often a light mark is visible in the center of such a spot.

• Chinese mantis (Chinese bowing mantis) ( Tenodera aridifolia, Tenodera sinensis)

It is an endemic species that vivo distributed throughout China. Adult female praying mantis reach 15 cm in length, the size of males is much more modest. The color of these insects does not depend on gender and is green or brown. Nymphs and juveniles lack wings. Chinese praying mantises acquire the ability to fly only after several molts. Tenodera sinensis shows vital activity at night. Life expectancy is 5-6 months.

• Creob roter meleagris

Widely distributed in Bhutan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan and other countries in the South Asian region. Adults can reach 5 centimeters in length. The main body color of the praying mantis is cream or white. Stripes of different widths run throughout the body, head and legs light brown. The elytra and pronotum are olive green. On the elytra there are one small and one large speck of white or cream color. The larger spot has the shape of an ellipse, which is outlined in black above and below.

Taken from: www.nhm.ac.uk

• Creobroter gemmatus, which is also called Indian flower mantis

It is a typical inhabitant of the humid forests of India, Vietnam and other countries of South Asia. Sexually mature males of this species of praying mantis reach a length of 38 mm, females are larger and grow up to 40 mm. The body of the insect is elongated, and the width of the pronotum is noticeably less than its length. On the thighs there are several spikes of different heights. The body is cream colored with brown or greenish spots. Both pairs of wings are well developed, and on the upper pair, which plays the role of elytra, there is a large bright spot resembling an eye with two pupils and serving to scare away predators. The wings of males are longer than those of females. Due to the fact that the lower wings of the praying mantis, painted at the base in pink and brown, have numerous membranes, the impression of a bizarre scaly pattern is created. The insect lives in the flowers of plants, where it waits for prey in the daytime.

• Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii

Lives in areas with a hot and humid climate. Other informal names for this insect are - spiny or spiny flower mantis. This species lives in the countries of southern and eastern Africa: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, as well as Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion. The size of adults is quite modest. The length of females does not exceed 40 mm, and males - 30 mm. The color of these praying mantises is heterogeneous - it combines white, cream, pinkish, yellow and green tones. On the upper pair of wings there is a rather interesting pattern resembling a green eye or a small spiral. It is noteworthy that the curls of these spirals on the right and left wings are directed towards each other. These insects have spines not only on the surface of the forelimbs, but also on the abdomen - hence the name of this praying mantis.

Taken from: media1.webgarden.cz

• Orchid Mantis ( Hymenopus coronatus)

Distributed in tropical forests India, Malaysia and Indonesia. This insect is considered one of the most beautiful representatives of the detachment. It got its name for its resemblance to the flowers on which it hides in anticipation of its prey. A sexually mature female praying mantis has a rather impressive size and grows up to 80 mm in length. The size of males is much more modest and does not exceed 40 mm. Distinctive feature of this species are broad forelimbs, a small head and filiform antennae. Basic body color orchid praying mantis white. However, it may vary depending on which flower the insect sits in ambush. Various shades of pink, orange, yellow, lilac or purple can be mixed with the main tone. This type of praying mantis is characterized by increased aggressiveness. They can attack prey that is twice the size of the hunter. By the way, orchid praying mantis larvae have a very unusual red and black color, which scares away potential enemies from them.

• idolomantis diabolica , which is also called Devil's flower or devil flower

It lives in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and other countries of East Africa, where it lives on the branches of shrubs and trees. Adult praying mantises of this species have quite large sizes. Females can reach a length of 14 cm with a wingspan of about 16 cm. Male mantises are slightly smaller in size than females and rarely exceed 11 cm in length. The color of these insects can vary from various shades of green to light brown. The spikes located on the thighs of the front legs are of different lengths. Three shorter ones are visible between the long spines. A distinctive feature of this species is the characteristic leaf-like appendages formed by expanded cuticles, which are located on the back, as well as on the middle and hind limbs. In addition, unlike other species, in Idolomantis diabolica the top of the head tapers into a cone. Praying mantises of this species are very often kept in home terrariums.

Taken from: archiwum.allegro.pl

• Eastern heterochaete ( Heterochaeta orientalis), which also has the unofficial name spiky-eyed mantis

Found in most African countries. The female praying mantis reaches 15 cm in length. Males are smaller and grow up to 12 cm. Due to the fact that these insects live in the branches of shrubs, they appearance has unusual features that make them look like knots or twigs. In addition, in these African praying mantises, the spikes are located not only on the thighs and lower legs of the forelimbs, but also along top edges head shaped like a triangle. This gives the impression that the eyes of the insect are wrapped around these spines. Such a structure of the organs of vision, in combination with a long “neck” located between the head and prothorax, makes it possible for praying mantises of this species to easily notice prey or enemies not only in front and side, but also behind. It is noteworthy, but the body of the insect at this moment can remain completely motionless. The coloration of individuals depends on their age. If in the larval stage they are characterized by shades of brown, then light green shades are inherent in adults.

Taken from: www.deine-tierwelt.de

• Empusa pennata

A species from the genus Empusa, which is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Africa, in most Asian countries, as well as in Portugal, Spain and Andorra, Monaco, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Adult male praying mantis are slightly smaller than females, which grow up to 10 cm in length. A distinctive feature of the praying mantis is a peculiar high outgrowth on the head, resembling a kind of crown in shape. Males have comb-type antennae, and additional spikes that look like feathers crown the head. The color of the praying mantis depends on the environment and may vary. These insects are characterized by green, yellow or pink colors and various shades of brown.

• Phyllocrania paradoxa

Lives in rather arid regions of Africa, located south of the Sahara Desert, as well as on the island of Madagascar, where it lives in the branches of shrubs and trees. Due to the peculiar shape of the body, resembling a leaf of a plant, it easily manages to hide from natural enemies and successfully hunt small insects. This disguise is provided by special outgrowths on the body and head of the praying mantis. Moreover, the processes on the head of the male are rather curved and slightly thinner than those of females. Imagoes of this species are rather small in size. Females grow up to a maximum of 5 cm, males are smaller. Protective color varies depending on air humidity and temperature. If the air temperature is low and the humidity is high, the insects are green or gray-green in color. When humidity levels drop and temperatures rise, praying mantises turn brown or dark brown.

• metallyticus splendidus

It lives in India, Malaysia, Sumatra and other countries of Southeast Asia. Hunts prey in the branches of trees or shrubs, as well as under tree bark. Sexually mature male praying mantis can reach a length of about 2 cm. Females are slightly larger and grow up to 3 cm in length. The body of these insects is slightly flattened in the direction from the back to the abdomen. Sexual dimorphism is expressed not only in size, but also in the color of individuals. Males are characterized by blue-green shades with a pronounced metallic overflow. blue color. In females, the body is painted in green tones with bronze shiny elytra.

• Ameles spallanziania

Widely distributed in Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, San Marino, Greece. The habitat of this species also includes Cyprus, Malta and other countries of Southern Europe and North Africa. The sizes of these insects are rather modest, and the length of males rarely exceeds 1 cm, and females can reach a length of 3 cm. You can also distinguish a male from a female by the presence of wings. If in males they are well developed and allow him to make rather long flights, then in females this organ is reduced, so they are deprived of the ability to move through the air. The eyes of the praying mantis are conical in shape. The color of insects is changeable and can vary from bright shades of green to brown and gray-brown. Unlike other species, these mantises have a short but strong hind pair of limbs.

• Blepharopsis mendica , which also has the unofficial name thistle mantis

It is found in Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and other countries of North Africa and southwestern Asia. These insects live in desert as well as mountainous regions. Males are slightly smaller in size than females, which can reach a length of 5.2-6.1 cm. In addition, the antennae of males have a comb structure. hallmark species is also a characteristic outgrowth on the top of the head. On the lateral surface of the thigh and lower leg there are many spikes of different sizes. The color of individuals can be greenish or brownish with numerous white spots that merge into bizarre patterns.

• Rhombodera basalis

It lives in the tropical zone of Malaysia, Thailand and India. Adult females can grow up to 8-9 cm in length, males are slightly smaller. A characteristic feature of the praying mantis is a slightly enlarged pronotum, resembling a rhombus in shape. The body and elytra of the insect are painted in turquoise-green colors with a blue tint. The hind pair of membranous wings are partly painted in bright pink tones.

• Malaysian leaf mantis ( Deroplatys dessicata)

It is widely distributed both in the tropical forests of Malaysia or Indonesia, and in wet thickets in Sumatra and Borneo. Malaysian females leaf mantis are much larger than the males. Their length can reach 15 cm, while males grow up to a maximum of 6 cm. This species has good camouflage abilities due to the special shape of the head and body, which give it a resemblance to withered foliage. Therefore, the color of the insect has a rather narrow color palette, which includes all shades of brown.

• Deroplatys lobata

It lives in the humid forests of Malaysia, as well as in tropical thickets on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. It prefers to hunt in the foliage of trees or small shrubs, as well as in their twisted roots. In appearance, these insects strongly resemble withered leaves, which serves them not only as an excellent disguise that protects against enemies, but also helps them to hide and wait for prey. The color of the body and legs is monochromatic and can be of different shades of gray or brown. Adult females grow up to 8 cm in length, while males barely reach 5 cm in size. Unlike females, males have developed wings, so they can fly, and females have lost this ability due to reduced wings.

• Aethalochroa insignis

Lives in India. This is a very large insect, the length of which is 15-20 cm, including antennae. The excellent camouflage of the praying mantis makes it look like a dry blade of grass.

praying mantis ( Mantodea) is a special order of insects. In a number of features (the structure of the abdomen, wings, the development of special ootheca capsules for eggs), they are similar to cockroaches - according to these features, they were sometimes even combined into one detachment. But in terms of lifestyle and behavior, praying mantises are not at all similar to cockroaches - they are active predators living alone.

The praying mantis is known for its "prayer posture" with its front legs folded "on the chest". These legs are grasping, with sharp spikes, and open like a penknife. By quickly throwing them forward, the praying mantis deftly captures the prey.

In total, about 2 thousand species of praying mantises are known. Large tropical species are able to attack small lizards, birds, frogs. But even an ordinary praying mantis 6 cm in size can kill and eat a 10 cm long lizard in 3 hours and digest it in 6 days. At this time, he is getting fat twice. But the usual food of praying mantises is insects.

Praying mantises have a camouflage color - the color of trees, grass, flowers, sticks, stones, leaves, among which they live. An immobile praying mantis natural environment almost impossible to notice. Only movement can give it away. The praying mantis usually moves very slowly, but in case of obvious danger it is able to crawl away quite quickly - and freeze again in a new place. With a clear attack, this insect behaves differently - it opens its wings, increasing its size, and begins to sway, trying to scare enemies. A number of tropical species make sounds at the same time - the rustling of wings, the clicking of legs. Some praying mantises have contrasting spots on their wings, which are hidden when at rest. But when the wings spread, these spots, like someone's large eyes, suddenly appear in front of the enemy, frightening him. In addition, the attacked praying mantis throws forward its grasping legs, striving to stab the enemy with its spikes.

Mantis Pseudocreoborta wahlbergi in a menacing stance

Praying mantises are predominantly residents of the tropics or subtropics. Most widely distributed common praying mantis (Mantis religiosa): from South Africa to Central Asia, Caucasus, south middle lane Russia - approximately to the line of Kursk, Bryansk, Orel, Belgorod. But along the northern borders of its distribution, the praying mantis is rare. For example, near Kyiv, we observed it 1-4 times a year, and near Kharkov - even less often, episodically. But already on the Black Sea coast, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, this is a fairly common insect. There is an ordinary praying mantis in the south of Siberia, in Kazakhstan and in the Far East of Russia. With the ships, this species also came to Australia and the USA, and now it is found there even in large cities, for example, in New York.

We also had unexpected meetings with a praying mantis: either he flew into the window of a house, or he sat on the sidewalk of a city street, at a trolley bus stop. But still, the usual habitat of this insect in the city is close to natural: dense thickets of grass, bushes, trees in parks, botanical gardens.

An ordinary praying mantis has three color forms: green, yellow and brown - the color of the environment where it lives. We met mainly green praying mantises - up to 80% of the meetings. It is possible that the color of this insect also varies according to the areas of distribution, depending on the area in which the colors of the vegetation cover prevail.

You can meet an ordinary praying mantis both in the grass and on the branches of bushes and trees. These insects have well developed wings, but we observed only males flying. They fly especially actively at night, although they can fly from tree to tree during the day. But usually the praying mantis does not seek to move - if there is food, the tree praying mantis can live all his life on one tree or bush, even on one large branch.

The praying mantis has a movable triangular head with developed eyes. He carefully looks around, he is attracted by any slightest movement nearby. Noticing a moving object of a small size, a hungry praying mantis begins to slowly move towards it and, approaching, grabs it with agile legs and eats it. The praying mantis can catch small insects, motionlessly waiting for them in ambush, using its protective coloration. But large prey, equal to or even larger than it in size, for example, an adult locust, the praying mantis actively pursues, crawls towards it openly, tries to jump on its back and grabs it, first of all by the head. Then immediately begins to eat, also from the head.

Stationary objects do not evoke any reaction in the mantis, they only catch moving prey (similar behavior can be seen in many spiders). But the mantis necessarily reacts to a moving object. In experiments, these insects even tried to catch the image of a colored square moving on a white screen.

If a large object that suddenly appears nearby is too large, the praying mantis can show a defensive reaction - then it spreads its wings and throws its legs forward with a special repulsive movement, trying to put forward their sharp ends and spikes. A well-fed, weakened or old praying mantis also repels insects approaching him, which under other conditions would become his prey.

The praying mantis is gluttonous. Larvae eat 5–6 aphids, fruit flies, house flies per day; an adult insect can eat 7–8 cockroaches about a centimeter long in a row, spending about half an hour for each. Having caught a cockroach, the praying mantis begins to gnaw its soft parts, especially the abdomen, at the end - the harder ones, in particular the head. Only wings remain from the cockroach, sometimes pieces of legs, and the praying mantis eats soft insects almost without a trace.

The breeding season for praying mantises in temperate climates stretches from August to September. At this time, males begin to migrate in search of females. At the end of the abdomen of praying mantises there are special outgrowths - cerci, they are the organs of smell. In males, the cerci are better developed and, perhaps, help in finding partners.

It is widely believed that the larger and voracious female praying mantis will definitely eat the male when they meet. However, in reality this is not always the case. Noticing the female, the male praying mantis cautiously and very slowly, with frequent long stops, freezes, begins to approach her, swaying slightly. The female at this time can catch prey, eat, clean herself. If she notices the movement of the male and turns her head towards him, he immediately freezes for a long time. This approach and contact can last 5–6 hours. As a rule, the male tries to approach the female from behind, from the back - this is the most successful and safe way for him. But if he approaches from the side, then the female often notices him and attacks. Hungry females are the most aggressive, a well-fed insect reacts sluggishly to moving objects, and this also helps the male to protect itself from attack. Settling down at the back of the female and quickly leaving after the meeting, the male praying mantis often remains alive. So cannibalism among these creatures is not such an obligatory phenomenon, as it seemed before.

When laying eggs, the fertilized female simultaneously secretes a special sticky liquid. Enveloping the eggs and hardening, this liquid forms a capsule - an ootheca, in the middle of which there are 100-300 eggs. Oootheca sticks to plants or stones, it is quite hard, retains inside the moisture necessary for the development of eggs and protects them from negative external influences. Common praying mantis eggs in ootheca can withstand short-term frosts down to -18 °C.

The eggs of praying mantises from the south of central Europe, apparently, need temporary cooling for development - winter diapause. When breeding in captivity, it is enough to keep the praying mantis eggs in the refrigerator for a month at a temperature of 0 ... +3 ° C. But in the tropics, the development of mantis eggs occurs without diapause.

The newborn praying mantis larva has long filaments at the end of the abdomen and many spines pointing backwards on the body. These spines help her crawl out of the ootheca. But the tail threads of the larva are clamped by the edges of the egg capsule - then the larva immediately molts, leaves the old skin and becomes like an adult praying mantis, only small and wingless. It has a protective coloration, but is very mobile compared to adult insects.

At first, the larvae feed on small thrips, aphids, then, as they grow, they switch to fruit flies and larger flies. When kept in captivity, in a limited space, praying mantis larvae actively attack each other. But in nature, they manage to settle before it comes to mutual destruction.

In Europe and Central Asia, praying mantis larvae usually appear in April-May. After about two and a half months, after molting 5 times, they turn into adult insects. After another 10–14 days, males begin to look for females.

An adult insect lives 55–60 days. Males usually die before females - after the breeding season, they become lethargic and stop hunting. The male praying mantis, caught in nature by an adult, died in our captivity by the end of September, and the female in October. Even when creating optimal conditions, with an abundance of food, heat and light, praying mantises die during October, depending on the time of their birth in the spring. That is, the life span of 2 months given to an adult insect is very tough. The old praying mantis has dark brown spots on its body, its bright green color fades. Chemical analysis the body of an insect during this period reveals the disappearance of vital amino acids in the body, in particular valine, leucine, lysine, tryptophan, methionine, threonine, etc. Adding these amino acids to the feed and water for the praying mantis, as well as vitamins A, D, E and the complex B vitamins prolong its life up to late December, i.e. 2-3 months compared to the usual period.

In addition to the usual, in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the Southern Volga region, in the south of Siberia, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it is found spotted mantis (Iris polysticica). In the south of the steppe belt, you can meet praying mantises from the genus Bolivaria, and in Central Asia - tree praying mantises Hierodula.

empuses (Empusa) are found on southern Europe, in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, in Central Asia and in the south of Kazakhstan. These praying mantises have a very characteristic appearance: a triangular head with a pointed end and a special outgrowth sticking out in front - in this way they resemble little devils. These rather large insects (females reach 6.5 cm, males are slightly smaller) are generally similar to the common praying mantis, but slenderer, with a thinner abdomen. Empuse males have developed feathery antennae, which indicates a good perception of odors. Species of this genus are very active at night. Their larvae appear in the summer and are noticeably larger than the larvae of other praying mantises, so they immediately begin to feed on small flies (rather than thrips and aphids), and quickly switch to feeding on grasshoppers and butterflies. Unlike a number of other praying mantises, in empusas, not eggs in the ooteca hibernate, but already grown larvae and even adults.

In addition to praying mantises living on plants, desert species are also found in Central Asia. They are small in size, keep on sand, stones and move quickly in search of prey. Their movements are similar to ants. These are, for example, rivetins ( Rivetina). Praying mantises-crumbs from the genus Armen ( Armena) are about 1.5 cm in size and are found not only in deserts, but also in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 2.7 km, where they hide under stones. Desert and mountain species of praying mantis also have a corresponding gray inconspicuous color.

To a certain extent, praying mantises, especially their larvae, are useful insects, because. destroy pests, especially on fruit trees, berry bushes. So, the Central Asian tree praying mantis during its development eats about 25 g of different insects. However, some beneficial species e.g. bees, riders. Attempts to use praying mantises for agricultural pest control, their mass breeding and resettlement for these purposes have not yet yielded results. But these insects still deserve careful treatment in their habitats.

AT last years in a number of places, praying mantises become rare, in particular in the Crimea - empuses, spotted-winged praying mantises, and bolivarians. A possible reason for this is the destruction of the habitats of these insects, dense steppe vegetation, and the plowing of steppe virgin lands. But while maintaining small areas of dense herbs - micro-reserves for insects and limiting the use of pesticides, mantises can also be preserved. It is especially desirable to do this on the northern outskirts of their range, in Russia, where praying mantises are already quite rare.

Literature

Gornostaev G.N. Insects of the USSR. – M.: Thought, 1970.

Life of animals. T. 3. Invertebrates. - M .: Education, 1969.

Plavilshchikov N.N. Insect identifier. - M .: Education, 1957.

Chervona Book of Ukraine (Tvarinny retinue) / Ed. MM. Shcherbak. - Kyiv: Ukrainian Encyclopedia, 1994.

The praying mantis is perhaps one of the most amazing and strange insects on our planet, both in its habits and way of life, some features of which can slightly (or even strongly) shock us people. Yes, we are talking about the famous mating habits of praying mantises, when the female praying mantis after the mating process (and sometimes right during the process) eats her unlucky cavalier. But, of course, praying mantises are not only remarkable for this, and in our today's article we will tell you about all aspects of the life of these unusual insects.

Origin of the name praying mantis

The academic name for the praying mantis back in 1758 was given by the great Swedish naturalist Karl Liney, who drew attention to the fact that the pose of the praying mantis, which is in ambush and guarding prey, is very similar to the pose of a man who folded his hands in prayer to God. Because of such a striking similarity, the scientist gave the insect Latin name“Mantis religiosa”, which literally translates as “religious priest”, the name “praying mantis” itself came into our language.

Although it is not called so everywhere, our hero also has other, by no means so blissful names, for example, in Spain they call him Caballito del Diablo - the devil's horse or simply - muerte - death. Such creepy names are obviously associated with no less creepy habits of praying mantises.

What does a praying mantis look like: structure and characteristics

The structure of the praying mantis is characterized by an elongated body, which distinguishes it from other arthropod insects.

The praying mantis is perhaps the only living creature that can easily turn its triangular-shaped head 360 degrees. Thanks to such a useful skill, he can see the enemy approaching from behind. He also has only one ear, but, despite this, just excellent hearing.

The praying mantis eyes of a complex faceted structure are located on the sides of the head, but in addition to them, our hero has three more simple eyes above the base of the antennae.

The antennae of praying mantises are comb-like, feathery or filiform, depending on the species of the insect.

Praying mantises, almost all of their species, have well-developed wings, but mainly only males can fly, females, due to their greater weight and size, are more difficult to fly than males. Praying mantis wings consist of two pairs: anterior and posterior, the anterior ones serve as a kind of elytra protecting the hindwings. Also, pilgrimage wings usually have bright colors, and sometimes they even meet original drawings. But among the many varieties of praying mantises, there is such an earthen praying mantis (the Latin name is Geomantis larvoides), which does not have wings at all.

Praying mantises have well-developed forelimbs, which have a rather complicated structure - each of them consists of many parts: trochanters, hips, shins and legs. From the bottom of the thigh there are large sharp spikes arranged in three rows. There are also spikes (albeit smaller ones) on the praying mantis shin, which is adorned with a sharp, needle-shaped hook at the end. See the picture for an exemplary structure of the praying mantis foot.

Praying mantises keep their prey just between the thigh and lower leg until their meal is over.

Praying mantis circulation is primitive, but there is a reason for this - an unusual respiratory system. the praying mantis is supplied with a complex system of tracheae connected to dichals (stigmas) on the abdomen in the middle and posterior parts of the body. The trachea contains air sacs that enhance ventilation throughout the respiratory system.

Praying mantis sizes

We have already mentioned above that the female praying mantises are much larger than the males, oddly enough, this is their main sexual difference.

A species of praying mantis, called in Latin Ischnomantis gigas and living in Africa, can reach 17 cm in length, perhaps this representative of the praying kingdom is a real champion in size.

Ischnomantis gigas is the largest praying mantis in the world.

Heterochaeta orientalis or Heterochaeta orientalis is a little inferior to him, it reaches 16 cm in length. Ordinary praying mantises are much smaller, on average no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length.

praying mantis color

Like many other insects, praying mantises have excellent camouflage abilities, this biological method of protection against predators, because of this, their colors have, depending on the environment, green, yellow and brown tones. Green mantises live on green leaves, while brown ones are inseparable from the bark of trees.

What does the praying mantis eat

It's no secret that our hero is a notorious predator who loves to eat both smaller insects and is not afraid to attack prey even larger than himself. They eat flies, wasps, bumblebees, beetles, etc. Large representatives of the praying family (see above) can even attack small rodents, birds and small amphibians: frogs,.

Praying mantises usually attack from an ambush, suddenly grab the prey with their front paws and do not let go until they are completely eaten. Strong jaws allow these gluttons to eat even relatively large prey.

Mantid Enemies

Although praying mantises are excellent predatory hunters, they themselves can also become prey for snakes, some birds, or bats. But the main enemies of praying mantises, perhaps, are their own relatives - other praying mantises. There are often life-and-death fights between two rival praying mantises. The fights themselves, both between praying mantises and with other insects, are very spectacular, first of all, the praying mantis seeks to scare the opponent, for this he takes a special frightening pose - throws his front paws forward and lifts his belly up. All this may be accompanied by appropriate threatening sounds. Such a show of strength is by no means feigned, praying mantises are desperately brave and with courage rush even at a much larger opponent. Thanks to such courage and bravery, praying mantises often emerge victorious from such fights.

Where does the praying mantis live

Almost everywhere, since their habitat is very wide: Central and Southern Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia. They are not only in northern regions, since praying mantises are not very accustomed to the cold. But they are great, for example, hot and humid climate tropical Africa and South America. Praying mantises feel great in tropical forests, and in the steppe regions, and in rocky deserts.

They rarely move from place to place, preferring their usual habitat to unknown distant places, the only reason that can encourage them to travel is the lack of food supply.

Types of praying mantises: photos and names

Scientists have counted about 2000 different types of praying mantises, unfortunately we will not be able to bring them all in our article, but we will describe in our opinion the most interesting representatives.

The common praying mantis lives in most countries of Europe, Asia, Africa. The common praying mantis is a very large representative of the praying kingdom, reaching up to 7 cm (female) and 6 cm (male). As a rule, they are green or brown in color, the wings are well developed, at least it is not a problem for the common praying mantis to fly from branch to branch. Abdomen ovoid. This type of praying mantis can be distinguished by a black spot, which is located on the coxae of the front pair of legs from the inside.

Obviously, China is the birthplace and main habitat of this species of praying mantis. The Chinese praying mantis is quite large, females reach up to 15 cm in length, but the size of males is much more modest. have green and brown colors. A characteristic difference between Chinese praying mantises is their nocturnal lifestyle, while their other relatives still sleep at night. Also, young individuals of Chinese praying mantises do not have wings, which grow only after several molts, at the same time they acquire the ability to fly.

The praying mantis Creobroter meleagris lives in southwestern Asia: India, Vietnam, Cambodia and a number of other countries. Usually reach 5 cm in length. The colors are white and cream. You can recognize them by the light brown stripes that run throughout the body and head. Also on the wings they have one small and a large spot of white or cream color.

He is the mantis Creobroter gemmatus especially loves moist forests South India, Vietnam and other Asian countries. This species is small, females grow up to only 40 mm, males up to 38 mm. The body is more elongated than that of other relatives. And for additional protection, there are special spikes of different heights on the hips of the Indian praying mantis. Cream colored. Representatives of this species are excellent flyers, both males and females, due to their low weight, in addition, both pairs of wings are well developed. Interestingly, on the front wings they have a spot similar to an eye with two pupils, which scares off predators. Flower mantises live, as their names imply, in the flowers of plants, where they guard their prey.

He is a praying mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii lives in the countries of southern and eastern Africa. In terms of lifestyle, size, it is very similar to the Indian flower mantis. But its coloring is especially interesting - it is really artistic, on the upper pair of wings there is an interesting pattern resembling a spiral or even an eye. On the abdomen of this species there are additional spines that gave it its name.

Orchid praying mantis - in our opinion is the most beautiful representatives devout world. It also got its name not without reason, but precisely for its external resemblance to beautiful orchids, on which it actually hides in ambush in anticipation of another victim. Females of orchid praying mantises are exactly twice as large as males: 80 mm versus 40. And even among other praying mantises, orchid mantises are distinguished by amazing courage, representatives of this species are not afraid to attack even insects that are twice their size.

Oriental heterochaete or spiky-eyed mantis is one of the largest mantises in the world (the female reaches 15 cm in length) and lives in most of Africa. These praying mantises live in the branches of bushes, since their appearance also resembles twigs.

Mantis breeding

And here we move on to the most interesting part, namely the reproduction of mantises, which, as a rule, has a sad and tragic end for males. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, but let's start in order. With the onset of the mating season (usually in autumn), male praying mantises begin to search for females ready for mating with the help of charm organs. Having found one, he performs a special “marriage dance” in front of her, transferring him to the rank of a sexual partner. Then the mating process itself begins, during which the female praying mantis has a bad habit of biting off her male's head and then completely eating him. Some scientists believe that such behavior, which is more than terrible in our opinion, also has its own biological reasons - having eaten her “groom”, the female, in such a simple way, replenishes the reserves of protein nutrients necessary for future offspring.

Although it also happens that the male manages to get away from his “beloved” in time than to avoid the sad fate of food.

After some time, the fertilized female lays eggs, at the same time enveloping them with a special sticky secret that is secreted by their special glands. This secret serves as a kind of protective capsule for the eggs of future praying mantises and is called ootheca. The fertility of the female depends on her species, usually the female is able to lay from 10 to 400 eggs at a time.

Praying mantis larvae stay in the eggs from three weeks to six months, after which they crawl out of the eggs. Further, their development proceeds at a fairly fast pace, and after about 4-8 molts, the larva is reborn into an adult praying mantis.

Keeping praying mantises at home

Terrarium

It would be a very exotic and unusual act to have a pet praying mantis, right? However, there are people who have such “pets” and if you want to join them too, then the first thing you have to take care of is the terrarium. A relatively small, glass or plastic terrarium with a mesh cover is suitable, its dimensions should be at least three times the size of the praying mantis itself. Inside it would be nice to place twigs or small plants on which the praying mantis will climb like trees.

Temperature

Praying mantises are thermophilic insects, so optimum temperature for them it will be from +23 to +30 C. You can use special heaters for terrariums.

Humidity

Also, do not forget about humidity, which is also important for these insects. The optimal humidity for praying mantises is 40-60%, and to maintain it, you can put a small container of water inside the terrarium.

How to feed praying mantises at home

Living food. Perfect fit, grasshoppers, cockroaches, flies. Some species of praying mantis will not mind eating ants. And with all this, they need to be fed regularly, so keeping such “pets” can be somewhat troublesome. But praying mantises do not need to be watered, since they get the fluid they need from food.

• One of the styles of Chinese wushu martial arts is named after the mantis, according to legend, this style was invented by a Chinese peasant watching the mantis hunt.
• In the Soviet Union at one time they wanted to industrially use praying mantises as a biological protection against pests of agricultural plantations. True, this idea had to be abandoned, since the praying mantises also ate beneficial insects, the same bees.
• Since ancient times, praying mantises have been frequent heroes of various myths and legends among African and Asian peoples, for example, in China they personified stubbornness and greed, and the ancient Greeks attributed to them the ability to predict the onset of spring.

Mantis - an insect from another planet, video

And in conclusion, we bring to your attention an interesting popular science film about praying mantises.