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Mantis habitat. Common praying mantis (Mantis religiosa)

The key to the survival of any species is procreation. Mantises were no exception, their mating has a number of very unusual features. For the male, unfortunately, this process can end very tragically. For a long time, scientists could not understand why the females of this species are so cruel. However, over time, the answer was found.

So, do you want to know what she does after mating and why she needs it? Well, then it's time to go to amazing world wildlife and see everything with your own eyes.

Mating season

With the arrival of August, hormones begin to play in praying mantises, which activates hidden mechanisms aimed at preparing for the reproductive process. In particular, insects begin to actively hunt in order to provide the body with the necessary elements and minerals. Females are especially sensitive to this task, because they will need to expend a lot of energy to lay eggs.

Closer to September, females, fully prepared for reproduction, release special pheromones into the air, which only male mantises can smell. Mating in these insects is a very unusual process with many surprising moments. Thus, males, carried away by the smell, forget about everything in the world and go towards their beloved.

How do praying mantises mate?

The fun begins when two insects are within sight distance. The male, who is inferior in size to the female, realizes that any mistake on his part can lead to a tragic ending.

So, if the female does not like the new gentleman, then she can hit him with her paw. And in the case of praying mantises, such a blow can not only seriously harm one’s health, but also kill the would-be lover. That is why males first study the reaction of their partner, being at a safe distance from her. Sometimes they even perform a small mating dance to show off their attractiveness.

If the female does not show aggression, then the males begin the process itself. However, even after this, there is a chance that everything will end very sadly for the man.

Bloodthirsty female praying mantis

Many are familiar with the notoriety that surrounds the females of these insects. It's about that they can bite off the heads of their suitors after mating. Why does this happen and do all males face a similar fate?

In order to lay eggs, females need to stock up big amount squirrel. And if they failed to get him during a regular hunt, then the only way out is to bite off a piece from the gentleman. But if the lady is not hungry, then men have nothing to worry about: everything will end quite happily.

But in any case, all praying mantises are familiar with the laws of nature. Mating is the only way to survive, which means the males will be forced to risk their lives for the greater good.

YouTube channel Deep Look published a video showing the monstrous dangers that desperate mantis boys are forced to go through in order to procreate. Not only do they risk being eaten alive during courtship, but they can also lose their heads during sexual intercourse. And triumphantly complete fertilization in the status of a sex zombie.

Many people know that female praying mantises are not averse to feasting on a partner who did not manage to escape in time after copulation. But that’s not all: the educational YouTube channel Deep Look showed that even if the lady mantis suddenly decides to bite off her partner’s head right during intercourse, he will still be able to finish what he started.

The video begins with a clear example of how difficult relationships develop in the world of predatory insects.

The hopeful male praying mantis has a hard time, to put it mildly. The female, with a sharp movement, crushes the gentleman into an armful and begins to devour him, and he has to watch the whole process with sadness in his eyes, sadly twitching his mustache.

People also sometimes have to, but at least the likelihood of being eaten alive at the same time is critically small for them. And even those male praying mantises who managed to start mating greatly risk their lives.

In the second fragment, in the midst of sexual intercourse, the female throws off the male and literally bites off his head. But even the headless partner is full of desire to finish what he started. Turned into a sex zombie, he climbs back to complete the fertilization.

Wait! His head has been removed, but his body continues to move as if on autopilot. Like a zombie mating machine.

Congratulations, baby mantis. You may not have won the ticket to a happily ever after, but you did win the genetic lottery.

Males that are eaten during copulation usually fertilize more eggs than those that manage to escape.

Female praying mantises have a habit of killing and eating their partners during mating. For what? Exciting new research shows this sacrifice gives males a distinct reproductive advantage.

Cannibalism among praying mantises is well documented, and scientists debate the reasons for this phenomenon. A new study shows that females who eat their partners after mating produce more eggs than those who do not. Moreover, by eating the male, the widow ensures that he will provide food for the offspring after death.

About 25 percent of all collisions result in the death of the male.

The female praying mantis usually starts by biting off her partner's head.

Incredibly, this accounts for 63 percent of the female's nutrition during the mating season. Scientists have suggested that she manages to stock up on food at a critical moment in her reproductive life. life cycle, but the fact remains unproven.

To be sure, the researchers inserted traceable radioactive amino acids into crickets that were eaten by the males. Each of them then mated with a female praying mantis. Half of them were saved from their mistress's duplicity, and the other half... well, you know what happened to the other half. The researchers then began the task of studying each female's reproductive success.

Study

By following the flow of radioactive proteins through their bodies, scientists tracked the contribution of a recently eaten male. Males that were eaten passed on almost 90 percent of their labeled amino acids; those that survived passed on about 25 percent, delivered via ejaculate.

A significant part of the amino acids was transferred to the babies, which means that they are not completely metabolized by the female. It turns out that in addition to ejaculate, body tissue is used to produce eggs. After death, the praying mantis provides food for its descendants.

Female mantises that ate mates produced more eggs than those that did not. On average, cannibals produced about 88 eggs, those who did not eat partners - about 37. This a big difference, which gives eaten males an excellent reproductive advantage.

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

The origin of the international name "Mantodea" is not known with certainty. Russian definition This order was received due to some similarity of the insect's forelimbs with human arms bent at the elbow joint. In this position, the mantis is in ambush and waits for prey, shaking its head from time to time. Because of this behavioral feature, as well as due to associative perception, the insect, which resembles a person who reads a prayer, got its name.

Taken from the site: artfile.me

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

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

The convex large compound eyes of the 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, which are located above the base of the antennae.

The antennae of the praying mantis consist of numerous segments and, depending on the species of the insect, are filamentous, feathery or comb-like. The mouthparts of mantises are of the gnawing type and are directed downwards.

A characteristic feature of insects of this order is that the pronotum, widened in the upper part, almost never overlaps the head. The 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 organs of smell. In males, the cerci are better developed than in females.

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

Almost all species of mantises have well-developed front and rear pairs of wings, 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 the wings of a praying mantis are brightly colored or have a specific pattern on them. But there are also varieties of mantises that are completely devoid of wings and resemble larvae in appearance. This, for example, is the earthen mantis (lat. Geomantis larvoides).

In the 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 in size than the coxa, a tibia, and a tarsus, consisting of 5 segments. In its lower part, the thigh is studded with large sharp spines arranged in 3 rows, the drumstick also has spines, albeit smaller ones, and at the end of the drumstick there is a sharp needle-like 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 shin is inserted, like the blade of a folding knife that retracts into the handle. Mantises capture their prey and hold it between the thigh and lower leg until the process of eating food is completed. The middle and hind pairs of legs have a structure typical of arthropods.

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

The circulatory system of mantises is quite primitively developed, which is a consequence of the way they breathe. The body is supplied with oxygen thanks to a complex branched system of tracheas, 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 mantises are quite pronounced and manifest themselves 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 mantis. Left photo credit: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo on right: Nicolas Weghaupt, Public domain

Some mantises can reach a length of 17 cm, for example 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 mantises are very small in size and grow no more than 0.5 -1.5 cm in length - such, for example, are tiny praying mantises.

The body color of the praying mantis depends on environment, since it is camouflage in nature. There are mantises that look like green leaves, flowers or sticks, while other species imitate tree bark, lichens, or even the black color of ashes after a fire.

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

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

The species Choeradodis rhombicollis resembles green leaf 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 praying mantis Pogonogaster tristani against a background of green moss. Photo credit: 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 greatly, and also change after each molt.

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

Enemies of praying mantises.

When attacked by an enemy (bird, or) or when meeting with a fellow rival, the mantises try to scare the enemy. They take a rather intimidating pose, spreading their wings like a fan, putting their front grasping legs forward and lifting the end of their abdomen up. This pose can be accompanied by threatening sounds. For example, the Sarawak mantis (lat. Hestiasula sarawaka) rustles its wings loudly and makes a clicking noise created by the contact of the upper part of the forelimb with the thigh. If the enemy turns out to be much stronger, the mantis prefers to retreat and flies away, however, seeing its advantage, it bravely confronts the enemy and often emerges victorious in such a fight.

Lifespan of praying mantises.

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

In tropical and subtropical conditions, mantises live not only in humid forests, where they settle in the branches of trees or shrubs, but also in sun-warmed rocky deserts. In Europe, these insects are common in 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, 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 by natural enemies: birds, chameleons, snakes or larger relatives. Almost all species of mantises are diurnal. active image life.

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 the gape, or. Large individuals can attack and eat small amphibians (geckos), small birds and even small rodents.

These predators attack their victims from ambush. They grab prey with their forelimbs and hold it until they completely eat it. Powerful jaws and the structure of the oral apparatus allow these insects to chew even large prey into pieces.

Types of praying mantises, photos and names.

There are more than 2,000 species of praying mantises. Below is a description of several varieties.

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 in Sudan and Egypt, in Israel and Iran, as well as in Russia, from the southern regions to the Primorsky Territory. Introduced populations have been recorded in Australia and North America. The common mantis is a fairly large insect, measuring 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. The transparent wings of the praying mantis, trimmed with green or brown edging, are well developed. The rather long abdomen is ovoid in shape. Distinctive feature of this species is a black spot, which is located on both coxae of the front pair of legs with inside. Often a light mark is visible in the center of such a spot.

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

Mantis Creobroter meleagris widespread 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. Light-colored stripes of varying widths run throughout the body, head and paws. Brown. The elytra and pronotum are colored olive-green. On the elytra there is one small and one large spot of white or cream color. The larger spot has the shape of an ellipse, which is outlined in black at the top and bottom.

Taken from: www.nhm.ac.uk

Praying mantis Creobroter gemmatus, which is also called Indian flower mantis, is a typical inhabitant rain forests India, Vietnam and other South Asian countries. Mature males of this species of 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. There are several spikes of different heights on the hips. The body is colored cream with brown or greenish spots. Both pairs of wings are well developed, and on the upper pair, which acts as elytra, there is a large bright spot that resembles an eye with two pupils and serves to scare away predators. The wings of males are longer than those of females. Due to the fact that the lower wings of the mantis, colored pink and brown at the base, have numerous membranes, the impression of a bizarre scaly pattern is created. The insect lives in plant flowers, where it waits for prey during the day.

Praying mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii lives in areas with hot and humid climate. Other unofficial names for this insect are spiky 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 coloring of these mantises is heterogeneous - it combines white, cream, pinkish, yellow and green tones. On the upper pair of wings there is a rather interesting pattern, reminiscent of 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 mantis.

Taken from the site: media1.webgarden.cz

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

Idolomantis diabolica, which is also called Damn flower or Devil's flower lives in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and other countries of East Africa, where it lives on the branches of bushes and trees. Adult 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 spines located on the thighs of the front legs have different lengths. Three shorter ones are visible between the long spines. A distinctive feature of this species is the characteristic leaf-shaped 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 shape. Praying mantises of this species are often kept in home terrariums.

Taken from the site: archiwum.allegro.pl

Eastern heterochaeta (lat. Heterochaeta orientalis), which also has unofficial name spike-eyed mantis, lives in most African countries. The female mantis reaches 15 cm in length. Males are smaller in size and grow up to 12 cm. Due to the fact that these insects live in the branches of bushes, their appearance has unusual features that make them resemble twigs or twigs. In addition, these African mantises have spines located not only on the thighs and shins of the forelimbs, but also along the upper edges of the head, which is shaped like a triangle. This gives the impression that the insect's eyes are wrapped around these spines. This structure of the visual organs, combined with a long “neck” located between the head and prothorax, allows mantises of this species to easily notice prey or enemies not only in front and to the side, but also from behind. It is noteworthy that the insect’s body at this moment can remain completely motionless. The coloring of individuals depends on their age. If in the larval stage they are characterized by shades of brown, then the imago is characterized by light green shades.

Taken from the website: www.deine-tierwelt.de

- 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 mantises are slightly smaller than females, which grow up to 10 cm in length. A distinctive feature of the praying mantis is a peculiar high growth on its head, resembling a kind of crown in shape. Males have comb-type antennae, and the head is crowned with additional spines that look like feathers. The color of the praying mantis depends on the environment and can change. These insects are characterized by green, yellow or pink colors, as well as 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 bushes and trees. Thanks to its peculiar body shape, reminiscent of a plant leaf, it can easily hide from natural enemies and successfully hunt small insects. This camouflage is provided by special outgrowths on the body and head of the mantis. Moreover, the processes on the male’s head are rather curved and slightly thinner than those of the females. The adults of this species are quite small in size. Females grow to a maximum of 5 cm, males are smaller. Protective coloring 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, mantises turn brown or dark brown in color.

Metallyticus splendidus lives in India, Malaysia, Sumatra and other countries in Southeast Asia. Hunts for prey in the branches of trees or shrubs, as well as under tree bark. Mature male mantises 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 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 tint blue color. In females, the body is colored green with shiny bronze wing covers.

Ameles spallanziania widespread in Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, San Marino, and Greece. The habitat of this species also includes Cyprus, Malta and other countries of Southern Europe and North Africa. The size of these insects is quite modest, with the length of males rarely exceeding 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 fairly 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 variable and can vary from bright shades of green to brown and gray-brown. Unlike other species, these mantises have a short but strong hind limb.

Blepharopsis mendica, which also has an unofficial name thistle mantis, found in Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and other countries in North Africa and southwestern Asia. These insects live in desert as well as mountainous areas. 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. Distinctive feature The species also has a characteristic growth on the top of the head. There are many spines of different sizes on the lateral surface of the thigh and lower leg. The color of individuals can be greenish or brownish with numerous white spots that merge into bizarre patterns.

lives in tropical zone 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 its slightly enlarged pronotum, resembling a diamond shape. The body and wing covers of the insect are colored turquoise-green with a blue tint. The rear pair of membranous wings are partially colored in bright pink tones.

widespread both in the tropical forests of Malaysia or Indonesia, and in the humid thickets of Sumatra and Borneo. Female Malaysian leaf mantises are much larger in size than males. Their length can reach 15 cm, while males grow 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, including all shades of brown.

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

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

Praying Mantises ( Mantodea) - a special order of insects. In a number of features (the structure of the abdomen, wings, the production of special capsules-ootheca for eggs) they are similar to cockroaches - based on these characteristics they were sometimes even combined into one order. But in their 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 pose" with its front legs folded over its chest. These legs are grasping, with sharp spines, and open like a penknife. Quickly throwing them forward, the mantis deftly captures the prey.

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

Praying mantises have a camouflage color - matching the color of the trees, grass, flowers, sticks, stones, leaves among which they live. The motionless mantis in natural environment almost impossible to notice. Only movement can give it away. The praying mantis usually moves very slowly, but if there is obvious danger, it can crawl away quite quickly - and freeze again in a new place. When clearly attacked, this insect behaves differently - it opens its wings, increasing its size, and begins to swing, trying to scare its enemies. Row tropical species at the same time they make sounds - the rustling of wings, the clicking of legs. Some mantises have contrasting spots on their wings that 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 mantis throws its open grasping legs forward, trying to prick the enemy with its spines.

Praying mantis Pseudocreoborta wahlbergi in a threatening pose

Praying mantises are primarily inhabitants of the tropics or subtropics. Most widely distributed common mantis (Mantis religiosa): from South Africa to Central Asia, the Caucasus, south middle zone 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 Kiev we observed it 1–4 times a year, and near Kharkov - even less often, occasionally. But already on the Black Sea coast, in Crimea, in the Caucasus, this is quite common insect. The common mantis is found in southern Siberia, Kazakhstan and the Russian Far East. With ships, this species also came to Australia and the USA, and is now found there even in large cities, for example in New York.

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

The common praying mantis has three color forms: green, yellow and brown - to match the color of the environment where it lives. We encountered mostly green mantises – up to 80% of encounters. It is possible that the color of this insect also varies across areas of distribution, depending on the area in which which colors of the vegetation predominate.

You can meet the common 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 mantis does not strive to move - if there is food, the tree mantis can live its entire life on one tree or bush, even on one large branch.

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

Stationary objects do not cause any reactions in mantises; 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 mantis may display a defensive reaction - then it spreads its wings and throws its legs forward with a special repulsive movement, trying to put their sharp ends and spines forward. A well-fed, weakened or old mantis also repels insects approaching it, which in other conditions would become its prey.

The praying mantis is gluttonous. The larvae eat 5–6 aphids, fruit flies, and house flies per day; An adult insect can eat 7-8 cockroaches about a centimeter in length in a row, spending about half an hour on each. Having caught a cockroach, the mantis begins to gnaw its soft parts, especially the abdomen, and finally the harder ones, in particular the head. All that remains of the cockroach are wings, sometimes pieces of legs, and the mantis eats soft insects almost without a trace.

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

It is widely believed that a larger and more voracious female praying mantis will definitely eat the male upon meeting. However, in reality this is not always the case. Having noticed the female, the male praying mantis carefully and very slowly, with frequent long stops, freezing, begins to approach her, swaying slightly. At this time, the female can catch prey, eat, and clean herself. If she notices the male’s movement 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, 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 protect himself from attack. Positioning itself 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 previously thought.

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 the moisture inside the eggs necessary for the development and protects them from negative external influences. The eggs of the common mantis in the ooteca can withstand short-term frosts down to –18 °C.

Eggs of praying mantises from the south of central Europe apparently require temporary cooling—winter diapause—to develop. When breeding in captivity, it is often 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 mantis larva has long filaments at the end of the abdomen and many backward-pointing spines on the body. These spines help her crawl out of the ootheca. But the tail filaments of the larva are pinched by the edges of the egg capsule - then the larva immediately molts, leaves the old skin and becomes similar to an adult mantis, only small and wingless. It has a protective coloration, but compared to adult insects it is very mobile.

At first, the larvae feed on small thrips and aphids, then, as they grow, they move on to fruit flies and larger flies. When kept in captivity, in a limited space, mantis larvae actively attack each other. But in nature they manage to spread out 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, having moulted 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 earlier than females - after the breeding season they become lethargic and stop hunting. The male praying mantis, caught in the wild as an adult, died in our captivity by the end of September, and the female died in October. Even when optimal conditions are created, with an abundance of food, warmth and light, mantises die during October, depending on the time of their birth in the spring. That is, the life span of 2 months allotted to an adult insect is very strict. The old mantis develops dark brown spots on its body, and its bright green color fades. A chemical analysis of the insect’s body 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 food and water for the mantis, as well as vitamins A, D, E and a complex of B vitamins prolongs its life up to end of 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, southern Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia spotted wing mantis (Iris polystictica). In the south of the steppe strip you can find praying mantises of the genus Bolivaria, and in Central Asia - tree mantises Hierodula.

Empusa (Empusa) are found in southern Europe, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Central Asia and southern Kazakhstan. These 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 are pretty large insects(females reach 6.5 cm, males are slightly smaller) are generally similar to the common praying mantis, but slimmer, with a thinner abdomen. Male empusas have developed feathery antennae, which indicates good perception them smells. Species of this genus are very active at night. Their larvae appear in the summer and are noticeably larger than the larvae of other mantises, so they immediately begin to feed on small flies (rather than thrips and aphids), and quickly switch to feeding on fillies and butterflies. Unlike a number of other mantises, empusas overwinter not with eggs in the ooteca, but with already grown larvae and even adults.

In addition to plant-living mantises, desert species are also found in Central Asia. They are small in size, stick to sand and rocks, and move quickly in search of prey. Their movements are similar to ants. These are, for example, rivetins ( Rivetina). Baby praying mantises from the armen family ( Armena) have a size of about 1.5 cm 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 views praying mantises also have a corresponding gray inconspicuous coloration.

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

In recent years, mantises have become rare in a number of places, in particular in the Crimea - empusas, spotted-winged mantises, and bolivarians. A possible reason for this is the destruction of the habitats of these insects, dense steppe vegetation, and the plowing of virgin steppe lands. But by preserving small areas of dense herbs—micro-reserves for insects—and limiting the use of pesticides, mantises can also be preserved. This is especially desirable to do on the northern edges of their range, in Russia, where mantises are already quite rare.