Live trap. Common mantis: habitat, color, photo Mantis transformation

Common mantis- an insect belonging to the family of true mantises. This is the most common representative of the species in Europe.

Description

It's pretty large insect. The common mantis, whose sizes range from 42 to 52 mm (males) and from 48 to 75 mm (females), is a predator. It has forelimbs adapted for holding food. The praying mantis is part of the cockroach order, forming a numerous species consisting of three thousand subspecies.

His name was given by Carl Linnaeus, the great taxonomist, who noticed that the pose of the praying mantis, when it sits in ambush, is very reminiscent of a person folding his hands in prayer. Therefore the scientist named him Mantis religiosa, which translates as “religious priest.”

Coloring

You are probably familiar with the common praying mantis from your school biology textbooks. Its color type is very variable, ranging from yellow or green to dark brown or brownish-gray. Usually it corresponds to the habitat and matches the color of the grass, stones and leaves.

The most common color is green or white-yellow. Older individuals have a paler outfit. Dark brown spots appear on the body with age. This is explained by the fact that the body stops producing amino acids important for life: methionine, leucine, tryptophan, etc. In laboratory conditions, when these substances are added to food, the life of the insect almost doubles - up to four months. This is the maximum period that an ordinary praying mantis can live.

Biological features

These insects have well-developed wings, they fly well, but males move this way only at night, and during the day they occasionally allow themselves to flutter from branch to branch. The praying mantis has four wings. Two of them are dense and narrow, and the other two are thin and wide. They are able to open up like a fan.

The head of a praying mantis triangular shape, very mobile, connected to the chest. It can rotate 180 degrees. This insect has well-developed front legs, which have powerful and sharp spines. With their help, it grabs its victim and then eats it.

The photo of the common mantis, which you can see below, clearly demonstrates that this insect has well-developed eyes. It has excellent vision. The predator, being in ambush, watches environment and instantly reacts to moving objects. It approaches the prey and grabs it with its strong paws. After this, the victim does not have the slightest chance of survival.

Unlike males, who feed on rather small insects, heavy, large females prefer their fellows of the same size, and sometimes even more. large size than them. Interesting story, associated with told E. Teal. He observed a funny situation on the street of one of the American cities. Car traffic was stopped. The drivers watched with interest the duel between the sparrow and the praying mantis. Surprisingly, the insect won the fight, and the sparrow had to retreat from the battlefield in shame.

Photo of the common mantis, habitat

The praying mantis is quite widespread in southern Europe - from Portugal to Ukraine and Turkey. He did not bypass the islands either Mediterranean Sea(Corsica, Balearic, Sicily, Sardinia, islands Aegean Sea, Malta, Cyprus). It is often found in Sudan and Egypt, in the Middle East from Iran to Israel, and on the Arabian Peninsula.

The habitat of the common mantis also covers the southern regions of our country. Presumably introduced to the eastern United States, to New Guinea, in the 1890s. From these territories he populated almost all of America and southern Canada. At the very beginning of this century, the praying mantis was discovered in Costa Rica. There is unofficially confirmed evidence that the common mantis was found in Jamaica, Australia and Bolivia.

In Europe, the northern border of the range passes through countries and areas such as Belgium and France, Tyrol and southern Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, southern Poland and Slovakia, forest-steppe regions of Ukraine and southern Russia.

Scientists note that at the end of the 20th century, the range began to expand to the north. The number of these insects has increased significantly in northern Germany, and the common mantis has appeared in Latvia and Belarus.

Features of reproduction

It must be said that a male praying mantis can have romantic relationship not easy: a female, larger and stronger, can easily eat an unlucky suitor, especially during the period when she is not ready to mate or is too hungry. Therefore, the common praying mantis (male) takes all precautions.

Mating season

Noticing better half, the male begins to creep up on her much more carefully than on the most dangerous and sensitive prey. The human eye cannot detect his movements. It seems that the insect is not moving at all, but it is gradually approaching the female, trying to come from behind. If the female turns in his direction at this moment, the male freezes in place for a long time, while swaying a little. Biologists believe that these movements are a signal that switches the female's behavior from hunting to love.

This rather peculiar courtship can last up to six hours. It is better for the gentleman to be a little late for this date than to rush a minute. The common mantis breeds at the very end of summer. In Russia, mating occurs from mid-August to early September. The influence of sex hormones provokes an increase in aggressiveness in the behavior of the insect. At this time, cases of cannibalism are common. main feature common praying mantis - the female devouring the male after, and sometimes during mating.

There is a version that a male praying mantis cannot copulate if he has a head, so sexual intercourse in insects begins with an unpleasant procedure for the male - the female tears off his head. However, more often mating occurs without victims, but after its completion the female eats the male, and even then only in half of the cases.

As it turned out, she eats her partner not because of her special bloodthirstiness or harmfulness, but because of the great need for protein at the first stage of egg development.

Offspring

The common mantis, a photo of which you can see in this article, lays eggs in ootecae. This is a special form of laying, characteristic of mollusks and cockroaches. It consists of horizontal rows of eggs, of which there can be two or more.

The female fills them with a foamy protein substance, which, when hardened, forms a capsule. Typically, up to 300 eggs are laid. The capsule has a fairly solid structure that easily sticks to plants or stones, protecting the egg from external influences.

Optimal humidity and temperature are maintained inside the capsule. In the ooteca, eggs cannot die even at temperatures down to -18 °C. IN temperate latitudes the eggs overwinter, and in the southern regions the incubation period is a month.

Larvae

Thirty days later, larvae emerge from the eggs. There are small spikes on their surface that help them get out of the capsule. After this, the larvae molt. Later they shed their skin and become similar to adults, but without wings. The larva of the common mantis is very mobile, it has a protective coloring.

In most areas of distribution, these hatch in late April - early May. In two and a half months they molt five times. Only after this do they become adult insects. The process of puberty lasts two weeks, then the males begin to look for their other half for mating. Praying mantises live in natural conditions- two month. The males die first. After mating, they no longer look for prey, become very lethargic and quickly die. They live only until September, and females survive them for a month. Their age ends in October.

Lifestyle and diet

The basis of the praying mantis' diet is insects. The largest individuals (mainly females) often attack lizards, frogs and even birds. The common mantis eats its prey slowly. This process can last about three hours, and the food is digested over the course of a week.

The praying mantis can hardly be called a lover of hiking. Only towards the end of summer do males radically change their lifestyle: they begin to wander around. When faced with its fellow insect, the insect gets into a fight, and the loser has a chance not only to die, but also to become dinner for the victorious opponent. Of course, on these journeys, male mantises are not looking for tournament glory at all, they need the love of a beautiful female.

The habitat of the common mantis is a tree or bush, but sometimes they can freeze on the grass or on the ground. Insects move from tier to tier, so they can be found both at the top of the crown and at the foot tall tree. And another one interesting feature: The mantis reacts exclusively to moving targets. He is not interested in stationary objects.

This predator is very voracious. An adult insect eats up to seven centimeter-sized cockroaches at a time. It takes approximately thirty minutes to eat the victim. First it eats soft tissues, and only after that it starts to eat hard ones. The praying mantis leaves limbs and wings from the cockroach. Softer insects are eaten whole. Typically, the praying mantis prefers When it has enough food, it lives on one tree throughout its life.

There is a belief among people that the saliva of the praying mantis insect can poison a mule. Therefore, it is sometimes called the “mule killer.” Other nicknames are “soothsayer”, “prophet”.

All this arose due to an unusual appearance and the behavior of this amazing insect.

Who is the praying mantis

The scientific name of the insect is the common mantis. The famous animal researcher Carl Linnaeus mentions it as Mantis religiosa. From Greek, the first part is translated as “prophet”, and the second, from Latin – “religious”.

The insect is quite large, up to 5–7 cm, with an elongated, narrow body and long limbs. The wings are large and well developed, but more often they simply run on the ground than fly.

The abdomen is shaped like an egg. Body color varies. The main color is green, but it can also have a yellow tint, gray or brown. Thanks to this, it can be difficult to notice among the grass or branches.

The praying mantis is the closest relative of cockroaches, but unlike them, it is a predatory insect. It grabs prey with its front paws and eats it. When the praying mantis sits motionless, it raises and folds these legs as if praying. This is where all his nicknames came from.

Master Hunter

But this position is not at all intended for prayer. At this time he is preparing for the hunt. This is such a bloodthirsty creature that it is ready, in this outwardly submissive pose, to grab any insect running nearby.

This one constant readiness to attack and forces the predator to hold its front legs like a trap. On their inner part there are sharp serrations that tenaciously hold prey.

This is the only insect that can turn its head back. A fly, wasp, mosquito or butterfly gapes, and he’s right there. Lightning quickly grabs them into its trap paws and then slowly eats them.

Females are not afraid to grab prey much larger than themselves - frogs, lizards and even rodents!

Features of reproduction

In general, females are very aggressive, especially during the mating season. They even attack each other. The loser becomes food for the winner.

At first, the male is of interest to her only as prey. But driven by instinct, he tries in every possible way to attract her attention. To do this, the mantis performs a kind of dance in front of the female, which then ends in death for him.

The great need for protein for the formation of eggs forces the female to eat even the male. This sometimes happens right during mating - she bites off her partner’s head. But more often he does this afterwards, eating it whole.

The female lays eggs in special capsules of a protein solidified substance called ootheca. From 10 to 400 eggs lie in rows in it. Ootheca is very durable and can withstand even frosts. In some areas, the eggs remain there all winter.

Praying mantises: benefits and harms

Praying mantises provide great help to humans by destroying large quantities crop pests. In the USA and Asian countries they are kept at home to control flies. Mantis catchers often collect oothecae and sell them to farmers as a biological weapon against harmful insects. The praying mantises living in the gardens will not allow uninvited guests to breed.

Well, first of all, why “mantis”? The name is quite strange, to be sure. The name of the insect was not invented by anyone, but by Carl Linnaeus himself, the founder of the entire biological table, a great mind. So, when he finally paid attention to the praying mantis, he exclaimed: “Tja, det ser ut som på mantis, för fan!”, which translated from Swedish means “Well, it looks like a praying mantis, damn!”

If you look at a praying mantis, you can really see that the pose of this insect is similar to the pose of a praying person. That is why Linnaeus gave the name Mantis religiosa or “religious priest”, in our opinion.

As for official judgments about the praying mantis, they are as follows. Praying mantises are not just a type of insect, but an entire suborder, with many species. The length of the praying mantis is about 5 cm. In American films, praying mantises sometimes reach five meters in length.

The color of the praying mantis varies from green to brown. The praying mantis has wings, but it rarely uses them, I will tell you why later. Females, for example, use their wings only in exceptional cases. Until a certain point, scientists even believed that the female’s wings were necessary only for intimidation. Then, after observing, they finally realized that the female could fly. True, they still don’t understand why praying mantises need to fly.

Well, not that much later. I actually wanted to reveal all of Mantis's cards at the end, but I can't wait to talk about Mantis' origins now. Official scientific opinions about the origin of the praying mantis are extremely uninteresting. All the same nonsense: the origin of life in water, the first amphibians, arthropods, insects, modifications that led to the development of the praying mantis, blah, blah, blah.

There is also unofficial version origin. It is so obvious that even a child will agree with it, unlike inert scientists. To truly understand the praying mantis, it is enough to look at the face of the praying mantis for a couple of minutes.

Here, watch for two minutes, try to understand.

Do you see? I am sure that you also understood the whole truth, namely that the praying mantis is a creature of unearthly origin. It only looks like an insect, but if you look at it more closely, a version of alien origin immediately comes to mind.

Do not rush to accept the skeptical side of scientists, let's look at some facts together.

Again, let's take coloring. I already said that it varies, but I didn’t say how much. It varies so much that it is impossible to say definitely what color the praying mantis is. Of course, we are used to thinking that the praying mantis is green. This is true, but the mantis is green only when it sees leaves. Since scientists, in their own foolishness, continue to look for praying mantises only on leaves, they have no idea about the ability of the praying mantis to choose any color they please.

How about this coloring?

Look around you and remember that praying mantises are everywhere. They disguise themselves so that we don’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist, right? Look carefully, perhaps the praying mantis is hiding among your office papers or sitting right on your brand new iPhone. Or maybe he was hiding in an indoor flower.

Don't forget to look in the barn.

Another fact that is known to many. No, I can’t talk about him calmly. The fact is that after sex, the female eats her partner. Do you think this is normal? Imagine a herd of cows. They graze and eat grass peacefully. Then the young bull comes, moo-moo, all that. Here he is climbing on his love, here is sex. And then! The cow turns around and eats the bull whole! One, one, and it's done. And then he continues to peacefully eat grass.

If this is not enough for you, then I will continue. Not only do females eat males after sex. This can be understood: vitamins, nutrients, necessary for the development of the praying man... But how to understand the fact that before sex, the female bites off the male’s head? Before sex, not after. Imagine a herd of cows. However, it’s not necessary, you have no idea. A headless bull on a cow... Really, you shouldn’t even think about it.

In fact, the female does not always bite off the head and does not always eat the male. That is, this is an optional condition. And this only adds new questions like “What’s the point then?!” Scientists keep silent about these questions, while agreeing that in earthly nature this is an exceptional case.

This act of cannibalism inspired not only me. For example, one Frenchman Marcel Rolland wrote about it like this:
“I will tell you below how the praying mantis devours its victims, but I must say that this drama, played out in the mysterious, apparently serene canopy of a hedge, was for me my first meeting with the Relentless. Thus I learned the terrible law of force to which the world is subject.”

There he said a lot more, one might even say that the praying mantis shook his psyche.

Scientists differ so widely in their assessments of this act that they sometimes go too far in their reasoning. So one of the scientists proved the thesis that the very fact of biting and nibbling is not so new in nature. Even among people you can find analogies. In short, I wrote all these words just to quote the words of this scientist:

Myths and folklore do not remain in debt: with their data they confirm the material of individual imagination. First of all, in the North Asian and North American regions there are widespread myths about women with toothed vaginas who kill, cutting off the penis, those who dare to have sexual intercourse with them.

Friends, I will take a short break and then continue. The devouring female praying mantises do not allow me to just pick up and continue my story.

Of course, there will be skeptics who will say “oh well! Common insect! But it's not that simple. Remember the cartoon about kung fu panda? So, there, among the kung fu masters, along with the tiger and the monkey, there was a praying mantis. An unheard of honor for small insect, don't you think?

The fact is that the Chinese were among the first to realize that something was wrong with the praying mantis. Just in case, they began to praise him. They not only drew a praying mantis, it’s not that strange, especially for the Chinese, they came up with a whole style martial art- praying mantis style. Not even a style, but a whole direction of styles, including: “Plum Blossom Mantis”, “Seven Star Mantis”, “Six Coordination Mantis Boxing” and other equally funny names.

We must give credit to the Chinese for understanding the true nature of the praying mantis.

Mantises have wings, but they rarely use them. They do not need them for hunting; mantises have other methods of hunting. They also do not use flight for defense, as they are well camouflaged. Thus, wings are not needed for daily activities. It can be assumed that wings are necessary for migration, but nothing is known about flocks of flying mantises.

Possible solution this fact lies in one of the songs:

I read in one book,
That when it gets bad,
And an ice ax and a saw will rise above the world
They will be removed from the branch
And they will excite you and me,
Under tight wings.

Why do praying mantises have such a strong influence on people’s consciousness? And they really have a strong influence, all over the world. I already talked about the Chinese with their praying mantis style. Other peoples also had special ideas about this insect.

Thus, in Africa there is still a cult of the praying mantis, which is considered a god and founder of the worlds. In Europe they also paid attention to it Special attention. Attitudes towards the praying mantis are ambiguous; in some cultures it is extolled, in others it is considered a demonic creature.

Perhaps the praying mantis earned such attention through its ability to look. The praying mantis is perhaps the only insect that has the ability to move its head in the direction of its gaze. That is, unlike other insects, he not only sees, but also looks.

Generally speaking, the number of beliefs and myths associated with the praying mantis is amazing.

More interesting fact. The praying mantis gets along just fine without a head and can even have sex. But that is not all. Not only can he walk and balance without a head, but without a head he can pretend to be dead. That is, being dead, he can pretend to be dead.

This incredible feature, as well as the ability to perfectly change one’s appearance, prompted one African tribe to the creation of a myth about how a praying mantis turned into a dead antelope. The hunters found him and prepared to cut him with stone knives. But even then the mantis remained motionless. Then they started cutting pieces off the antelope. And only after this, the antelope again turned into a praying mantis. It was an elder pilgrim, he collected all his cut-off parts, attached them to himself and began to run with his paws raised (well, you know how he can do that), grab and eat children.

This is such a mythical African horror.

This is not surprising, because the insect is very aggressive and even attacks its relatives. Even during mating, the female praying mantis is known to eat the male. In this regard, the question arises, what differences does the praying mantis insect have, why is this representative of arthropod dangerous and useful for humans? Does its size matter? After all, if we take flies and mosquitoes as an example, it becomes clear that even a tiny creature can cause serious harm to health. Thus, mosquitoes spread malaria and other serious diseases. Praying mantises are not small by insect standards. Different species reach from four to nine centimeters in length! Add to this the ability to camouflage and the habits of a predator - there is something to worry about.

Why does a female praying mantis eat the male during mating??

The breeding season for praying mantises occurs from August to September. Males go searching dangerous girlfriends, But family happiness is not expected in predatory insects. The female eats the male directly during mating, starting from the head. After all, the nerve nodes on the abdomen are responsible for the sexual process. Experts have studied this behavior of praying mantises.

In the early stages of research into the biology of these insects, scientists were of the opinion that the female behaved in such a way as to increase the amount of sperm she received from the agonizing male mantis.

Modern entomologists have come to the conclusion that this version is erroneous. After careful research, it became clear that the female praying mantis devours the male only in order to obtain an additional source of proteins for the development of eggs.

Why is it believed that the female praying mantis necessarily eats the male during mating? This does not always happen. It is known that especially cautious males are able to complete their mission and quickly get out of the sight of their predatory friend.

Can a praying mantis bite a person??

Young praying mantises behave more modestly than adults, do not attack large prey and do not even try to bite a person. The insects do not pose a serious threat, but they can injure with their claws. An adult can easily survive such a nuisance, but it is better to protect a small child from meeting an aggressive praying mantis. The predator even hunts small birds and mammals, if they had the imprudence to disturb his peace.

Can a praying mantis bite an adult when it encounters it? Of course, such a possibility exists. However, children are eager to explore the world and have a better chance of meeting dangerous insects. It is better to keep very young children away from this creature to prevent pain. Don't frighten kids too much with the praying mantis. In the forest or steppe there are much more dangerous creatures: Poisonous snakes, stinging wasps and rodents that carry the infection.

Benefits of the praying mantis

Praying mantises are widely used by gardeners to control pests. Because of their omnivorous nature, they quickly deal with all the inhabitants of the garden or garden, saving plants and vegetables from death. These insects have become faithful allies of humans in the agricultural sector. However, the main advantage of praying mantises is also its disadvantage. The fact is that along with the pests they die in their paws and beneficial insects, for example, bees.

The insect mantis, what makes it dangerous and useful for humans is its aggressive gluttony. It bites furiously, fighting all living creatures, it is useful as an entomophage, destroying garden pests. In any case, the insect cannot but attract the attention of both scientists and ordinary people.

Paws folded as if in prayer, a pose full of humility and sorrow - before you is a praying mantis - one of the most extraordinary creatures on earth, which cannot be confused with someone else, but can easily be mistaken for a twig, leaf or blade of grass.

Common praying mantis: close-up photo.

Mantis on cucumbers.

About 3 thousand now known species praying mantises belong to the largest detachment praying mantises - arthropod insects with incomplete metamorphosis. One of the most common species is the religious mantis (Mantis religiosa), a member of the family of true mantises, named by Carl Linnaeus due to its characteristic prayer pose.

Having examined the praying mantis more closely and learned its true character, it becomes clear that behind the deceptive humility lies a cunning, cruel and merciless predator, far from being a saint, but rather vicious.

Here is a photo of praying mantises different types from all over the world:

Red mantis, photo taken on the island of Crete.

Orchid mantis. Habitat: India and Indonesia.

Orchid mantis in all its glory.

Praying mantis Phyllocrania paradoxa. Habitat: Madagascar.

Mantis Devil's flower. Habitat: East Africa.

Mantis Blepharopsis mendica. Habitat - North Africa, Asia Minor.

Mantis, we are finding out the type of insect.

What does a praying mantis look like?

Praying mantises - enough large predators, growing up to 15 cm in length, with females being much more massive and heavier than males. Long body insects are equipped with well-developed front and rear wings, which spread out like a chic fan to intimidate enemies.

The front legs of mantises are folded in prayer only when at rest, and their main purpose is to capture and hold prey, sometimes much larger than the mantis itself. Their thighs and legs are covered with rows of large and sharp spines, to which the mantis presses the caught victim, and the hind limbs of the insects are well adapted for walking.

Mantis on flowers.

Mantis on a flower, photo No. 2.

Praying mantises can engage in cannibalism.

Mantis. The photo was taken in the Moscow region. Camera smartphone NOKIA LUMIA 1020.

The most notable feature of praying mantises is their triangular head with with huge eyes, so mobile that these insects are the only ones who can easily look behind themselves with one turn of their heads.

The oral apparatus of mantises is excellently developed, and powerful jaws They do an excellent job of grinding large and tough prey.

The art of camouflage

Praying mantises have a reputation unsurpassed masters camouflage, skillfully using camouflage colors to blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. For example, some African species of mantises turn black in order to successfully hunt at fire sites.

Most predators are colored in a rich, grassy - green color, there are beige and brownish specimens, and only 5 Asian species from the family Metallyticidae they are distinguished by their blue-green color with a metallic tint.

Cunning insects can not only mimic the color of foliage, stones and trees, but also skillfully imitate leaves, shoots, grass stems and even fruit seeds with the position of their bodies.

Where do praying mantises live?

Today these insects are found in southern Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia and are very numerous throughout their range. Praying mantises adapt well to different biotopes and, when there is an abundant food supply, prefer sedentary image life.

Despite their frightening appearance, mantises are highly valued by farmers of all countries, they welcome them and try to use them as an effective biological weapons to combat insects - agricultural pests.

In America and a number of Asian countries they are kept as pets - exterminators of flies and mosquitoes, and lovers of exotic insects decorate their insectariums with them.

Common praying mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Common mantis, or religious mantis.

Common praying mantis.

Common praying mantis in the grass.

Mantis, macro photography.

A praying mantis on top of a cliff, against the backdrop of the Black Sea coast.

Hunting mantis

Mantises spend most of their lives in their characteristic position, waiting for prey, and thanks to their excellent vision, they mark the victim from afar and quickly attack when the prey is within reach.

Sometimes, young mantises, in order to survive, feed on their weaker brothers.

Praying mantises eat various insects, hunt small snakes, frogs and lizards, attack birds and rodents, practice cannibalism on occasion and will not refuse to feast on their own offspring.

These fearless and arrogant predators are not afraid to demonstrate their superiority by frighteningly bristling their wings and throwing them forward. long paws, raising his butt in the air and rushing into battle. If the potential victim turns out to be stronger, the mantis retreats and flies away.

Mantis defensive stance.

Mantis defensive stance.

Common mantis, or religious mantis (lat. Mantis religiosa).

According to legend, one of the most famous styles of Chinese wushu - tanglangquan or "mantis style" arose after a famous master observed the technique of a duel between two insects, when a large cicada was unable to escape from the iron grip of the mantis.

Reproduction and dance of the praying mantis

Mantises owe their fame partly to the original behavior of females, who eat males after or during mating. This feature is explained by the need of females for high doses of protein necessary for the development of eggs, so males have to resort to various tricks to avoid death.

Praying mantises mating. Transcaucasian praying mantis (Hierodula transcaucasica).

At the end of the last century, researchers studying the Chinese mantis noticed how males, during courtship, perform an eerie but effective dance in front of the female in an attempt to make them perceive themselves as a partner, and not as a food object. It is difficult to judge how well the dance really works, however, about half of the matings end quite happily for the males.

The female lays from 10 to 400 eggs, which she places in a capsule - an ootheca, and hangs on bushes, grass and tree branches. In the larval stage, the insect resembles a worm, and after hatching and shedding, it turns into a full-fledged praying mantis. Having been born, the offspring, for the purpose of self-preservation, tries to quickly hide from the mother’s eyes.

The life of mantises is interesting and short, most individuals live 6 - 7 months, and only specimens overwintering in the ooteca are able to live for a year.