Praying mantis
A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is a kind of insect, of the family Mantidae (order Mantodea), named for their "prayer-like" stance. (The word mantis in Greek means prophet.) There are approximately 2,000 species world-wide; most are tropical or subtropical. Some texts refer to the European mantis (Mantis religiosa) as the most commonly thought-of praying mantis.
The order Mantodea (or Praying mantis) consists of between 1,800 and 2,000 species, of which a majority are in Mantidae.
Mantids are notable for their large size and nimble reflexes. Their diet usually consists of living insects, including flies and aphids; larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds and even rodents. A mantid's prey is caught and held securely with its grasping forelegs.
Mantids are masters of camouflage and make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Some species in Africa and Australia are able to turn black within a few days of a fire in the region to blend in with the fire ravaged landscape. In addition to this adaptation, they have adapted to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as leaves, blades of grass or even stones.
The praying mantis goes through three stages of metamorphosis: egg, nymph, and adult. Scientists also refer to this as an incomplete metamorphosis because the nymph and adult insect look so much alike except it is smaller and has no wings. A mantis nymph increases in size by replacing its outer body covering with a sturdy, flexible exoskeleton and moulting when needed. This can happen up to five to ten times, depending on the species. After the final moult it should have full grown wings.
One of the earliest illustrations of a mantid appears in the ancient Chinese text, Erh Ya where its attributes in poetry (representing courage and fearlessness) are given, as well as a brief description. A later text, Pen ts'ao from 1108 is impressively correct on the construction of the egg packages, the development cycle, the anatomy and even the function of the antennae.
By the 18th century the biology and morphology of the mantids has become relatively accurate. Roesel von Rosenhof accurately illustrates and describes them in the Insekten-Belustigungen (Insect Entertainments).
The order Mantodea (or Praying mantis) consists of between 1,800 and 2,000 species, of which a majority are in Mantidae.
Mantids are notable for their large size and nimble reflexes. Their diet usually consists of living insects, including flies and aphids; larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds and even rodents. A mantid's prey is caught and held securely with its grasping forelegs.
Mantids are masters of camouflage and make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Some species in Africa and Australia are able to turn black within a few days of a fire in the region to blend in with the fire ravaged landscape. In addition to this adaptation, they have adapted to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as leaves, blades of grass or even stones.
The praying mantis goes through three stages of metamorphosis: egg, nymph, and adult. Scientists also refer to this as an incomplete metamorphosis because the nymph and adult insect look so much alike except it is smaller and has no wings. A mantis nymph increases in size by replacing its outer body covering with a sturdy, flexible exoskeleton and moulting when needed. This can happen up to five to ten times, depending on the species. After the final moult it should have full grown wings.
One of the earliest illustrations of a mantid appears in the ancient Chinese text, Erh Ya where its attributes in poetry (representing courage and fearlessness) are given, as well as a brief description. A later text, Pen ts'ao from 1108 is impressively correct on the construction of the egg packages, the development cycle, the anatomy and even the function of the antennae.
By the 18th century the biology and morphology of the mantids has become relatively accurate. Roesel von Rosenhof accurately illustrates and describes them in the Insekten-Belustigungen (Insect Entertainments).
Source: wikipedia, under GFDL
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