The female eats the male after mating. Mantis: where does this amazing predator of the insect world live in Russia?
There is a belief among people that the saliva of the praying mantis insect can poison a mule. Therefore, it is sometimes called the “mule killer.” Other nicknames are “soothsayer”, “prophet”.
All this arose due to the unusual appearance and behavior of this amazing insect.
Who is the praying mantis
The praying mantis is a large predatory insectThe scientific name of the insect is the common mantis. The famous animal researcher Carl Linnaeus mentions him 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 assistance to humans by destroying large numbers of agricultural pests. In the USA and Asian countries they are kept at home to control flies. Mantis catchers often collect oothecae and sell them to farmers, as biological weapons against harmful insects. The praying mantises living in the gardens will not allow uninvited guests to breed.
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 starts with clear example 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.
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 regular food praying mantises are 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 herbs, bushes, trees in parks, 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, praying 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 last years in a number of places, mantises are becoming rare, in particular in the Crimea - empusa, spotted-winged mantis, bolivarius. 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.
Literature
Gornostaev G.N. Insects of the USSR. – M.: Mysl, 1970.
Life of animals. T. 3. Invertebrates. – M.: Education, 1969.
Plavilshchikov N.N. Insect key. – M.: Education, 1957.
Chervona Book of Ukraine (Tvarinniy suite)/Ed. MM. Shcherbak. – Kyiv: Ukrainian Encyclopedia, 1994.
At first glance, the praying mantis is an absolutely harmless insect. Fragile, thin, invisible in the grass and on tree branches. But it's not what it seems. First of all, it is almost clear to everyone that it was called that because of its front legs prayerfully folded. He can sit in his position for hours, but there is no need to be deceived, the praying mantis insect is a formidable predator. He attacks victims much larger than himself. Mantises are known to fight with large spiders and even snakes! You can’t help but wonder if people made a mistake with the name?
Compared to its relatives, it is a fairly large representative of its class. Individual individuals can reach 76 millimeters in length and even more. Females are usually larger than males. If the size is the same, then determine gender individuals before adulthood is quite difficult.
They mimic perfectly. There are species that are very similar to flowers, others can easily get lost in the leaves, and all with one purpose - to waylay a suitable victim! They are not at all dangerous for people. The only way a praying mantis insect can harm a person is by scratching a finger with the jagged edges of its front legs if handled carelessly.
People who see them for the first time simply do not believe at first that this is a creature of earthly origin. His appearance and his entire alien appearance are very unusual. And, of course, it is very difficult to realize that this is a formidable predator. It is not always possible to clearly distinguish the appearance of such a small creature as a praying mantis. The insect (its photo can fascinate anyone) seems to be dancing a strange ritual dance.
Some people even keep them at home because they are not too difficult to care for. The insect will need to change housing several times. At first, a yogurt container will do just fine, but later you will have to find a larger “apartment” for him. Throughout its life, the praying mantis insect sheds its skin, increasing in size.
You must remember to feed him on time, and there should always be branches in his home on which he can hang, this is especially important during periods of molting. But he doesn’t need to drink - he just needs to provide sufficient air humidity.
If you decide to breed different-sex individuals, then you need, firstly, to prepare a large cage, and secondly, a sufficient amount of food. Otherwise, the larger female may eat the male after mating. It can happen as soon as the individuals are together or over the next few days. After the end of the mating period, the male must be resettled again.
In due time, the female lays from 30 to 300 eggs, from which new individuals will hatch in a few months. To prevent cannibalism among newborns, you need to place them in a large container with big amount secret corners and live food. After the second or third molt, they all need to be seated.
The praying mantis insect, unlike most of its fellows, has a number of unique skills. In addition to excellent mimicry abilities, he can turn his head almost 180 degrees in different directions and even look over his shoulder. By the way, females, unlike males, cannot fly, although representatives of both sexes have wings. They are simply too heavy to fly.
Praying mantises are predatory insects, classified into the order Bogomolovs of the same name, numbering 2853 species. to his unusual name they are not obligated angelic character, but a special hunting pose in which they fold their front legs in the pose of a praying person.
Devil's Flower (Idolomantis diabolica) - This mantis gets its name from its ominous appearance.
The sizes of these insects range from 1 to 11 cm. Appearance praying mantises can be very different, however, in all species of these insects you can find common features. They are characterized by a small, mobile head triangular shape and a narrow body with long, jointed limbs, giving them a similarity to grasshoppers or stick insects. But from a systematic point of view, praying mantises have nothing in common with grasshoppers; stick insects can only be considered their distant relatives, and truly brotherly ties connect these insects with cockroaches.
Many praying mantises, like this feathery empusa (Empusa pennata), have branched antennae. They can be straight or twist into a gentle spiral.
Praying mantises are quite thermophilic, so they reached their greatest diversity in the tropics and subtropics; only a few species have penetrated into the temperate zone, and in cold climates they try to inhabit the warmest biotopes: steppes and dry meadows. But in the tropics, mantises can be found in wet forests, and in rocky deserts. These insects are active mainly in daylight hours days, since they track their prey visually. Praying mantises never pursue their prey: like spiders, they are typical ambushers, ready to sit in one place all day long, waiting for an unwary mosquito. In this regard, the vast majority of these insects have developed protective colors, and some have even developed a special body shape. For example, in species that live in dense grass, the straight body of a green or brown-variegated color resembles a blade of grass or a dry stick...
in species living in tropical forest, it is green with lateral outgrowths and looks like a leaf...
In Choerododis stalii, even tiny spots imitate natural damage to the leaf.
Tropical mantises that ambush flowers have a curved abdomen and flat lobes on their legs that mimic flower petals.
Orchid mantises change color as they age: juveniles are white, adults are pink.
The orchid mantis is indistinguishable from the flower on which it lives.
In this parade camouflage suits a rare exception is the bright mantis, whose covers have a metallic sheen of all shades of the rainbow.
The difference in color between the two bright praying mantises (Metallyticus splendidus) is due to the different angles of light refraction.
Like other insects, praying mantises have wings: more rigid front ones (elytra) and transparent rear wings, used for flight. Occasionally there are short-winged or completely wingless species (mostly desert ones).
The desert mantis (Eremiaphila baueri) is one of the little-studied species.
Some mantises use their wings for protection; in case of danger, they suddenly open them wide and thereby scare away a potential enemy. Accordingly, the wings of such insects have an intricate pattern.
African spiny mantis (Pseudocreobroter occellata).
Mantises, deprived of such useful weapons of defense, resort to the old, well-proven method, namely, in the face of danger they take an aggressive “hunting” pose. If this does not help, the mantis flies away or, conversely, rushes at the offender and bites him. Some species are even capable of hissing.
This mantis fights to the last, but the forces are too unequal.
Birds, chameleons, and snakes are considered enemies of praying mantises. But they themselves are not born with bast. Praying mantises are very voracious and in a few months of life they manage to destroy several thousand insects ranging in size from aphids to grasshoppers, and sometimes even attack vertebrates. Cannibalism is the norm for them, and it sometimes manifests itself at the most unexpected moment. It has long been noticed that after mating, the larger female praying mantis often snacks on her chosen one; in exceptional cases, she begins this unseemly activity while still in the process love pleasures. To reduce the risk of being eaten, the male performs a ritual dance before mating, which helps the female distinguish her partner from her prey and set her up in a peaceful mood.
The praying mantis caught a small gecko.
Reproduction in tropical mantises occurs all year round, kinds temperate zone mate in the fall. The female lays from 10 to 400 eggs in several portions on grass stems, tree branches, posts, boards (less often in sand). She immerses each clutch in a foamy mass, which, when hardened, forms a capsule - an ooteca. Cockroaches have the same capsules. Depending on the substrate, the ootheca may be sandy, gray or Brown. The eggs mature in it from 3 weeks to 6 months; in species of the temperate zone, it is the eggs that are the overwintering life stage.
Ootheca mantis.
Praying mantises are insects with incomplete metamorphosis, therefore their larvae, called nymphs, have a body shape similar to adult individuals, only wingless. Nymphs are insatiable, so they grow quickly; in the process of growing up, they manage to molt from 9 to 55 times. In general, the life expectancy of mantises does not exceed 1 year.
An orchid mantis nymph mimics an ant.
People have long paid attention to the warlike nature of these insects; one of the Chinese wrestling styles, wushu, is even named after them. Nowadays, praying mantises are one of the most popular insects to keep in home insectariums. In addition, due to their gluttony, they are also useful in agriculture. True, along with aphids, flies and grasshoppers, mantises can also attack beneficial insects. In the USA, they are used to a limited extent in gardens for growing organic fruits. In general, the condition of this group of insects is good. Species such as spotted iris, striped empusa and short-winged bolivaria are included in the regional Red Books.
