"Praying mantis" redirects here. For other uses, see Praying mantis (disambiguation).
Mantis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous – Recent
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Mantis religiosa, Romania
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Superorder:
Dictyoptera
Order:
Mantodea Burmeister, 1838
Families
See text
Synonyms
Manteodea Burmeister, 1829
Mantearia
Mantoptera
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.
The closest relatives of mantises are termites and cockroaches (Blattodea), which are all within the superorder Dictyoptera. Mantises are sometimes confused with stick insects (Phasmatodea), other elongated insects such as grasshoppers (Orthoptera), or other more distantly related insects with raptorial forelegs such as mantisflies (Mantispidae). Mantises are mostly ambush predators, but a few ground-dwelling species are found actively pursuing their prey. They normally live for about a year. In cooler climates, the adults lay eggs in autumn, then die. The eggs are protected by their hard capsules and hatch in the spring. Females sometimes practice sexual cannibalism, eating their mates after copulation.
Mantises were considered to have supernatural powers by early civilizations, including ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, and Assyria. A cultural trope popular in cartoons imagines the female mantis as a femme fatale. Mantises are among the insects most commonly kept as pets.
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids")...
Mantis shrimp are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (from Ancient Greek στόμα (stóma) 'mouth', and ποδός (podós) 'foot'). Stomatopods...
Shield mantis, hood mantis (or hooded mantis) and leaf mantis (or leafy mantis) are common names for certain praying mantises with an extended thorax aiding...
Stick mantis and twig mantis are common names applied to numerous species of mantis that mimic sticks or twigs as camouflage. Often the name serves to...
The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) is a large hemimetabolic insect in the family of the Mantidae ('mantids'), which is the largest family of the order...
The Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896, this species was accidentally introduced...
Leaf mantis (and leafy mantis) is a common name for certain praying mantises including: those often also called shield mantis, i.e. species within Choeradodis...
Theopompa sp. (Asian bark mantises) Dead leaf mantis Flower mantis Grass mantis Leaf mantis Shield mantis Stick mantis List of mantis genera and species "Tanzanian...
coronatus is a mantis from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is known by various common names, including walking flower mantis, orchid-blossom...
Operation Praying Mantis was the 18 April 1988 attack by the United States on Iranian naval targets in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the mining of...
Dead leaf mantis Flower mantis Grass mantis Leaf mantis Shield mantis Stick mantis List of mantis genera and species Alien Insect: Praying Mantis, 2004,...
Arizona unicorn mantis Stagmomantis gracilipes, the Arizona tan mantis Stagmomantis limbata, the Arizona mantis or bordered mantis List of mantis genera and...
bicornis (Indian grass mantis) Dead leaf mantis Flower mantis Stick mantis List of mantis genera and species Praying Mantises, AKA Mantids (Order Dictyoptera)...
commonly known as the peacock mantis shrimp, harlequin mantis shrimp, painted mantis shrimp, clown mantis shrimp or rainbow mantis shrimp, is a large stomatopod...
African mantis and African praying mantis are common names for many species of praying mantis native to Africa. The following genera and species are often...
Asian mantis, species of praying mantis within the genus Hierodula Deroplatys desiccata, or giant dead leaf mantis, a species of praying mantis of genus...
Mantis (Chinese: 螳螂拳; pinyin: tánglángquán; lit. 'praying mantis fist') is a style of Chinese martial arts, sometimes called Shandong Praying Mantis after...
Flower mantises are praying mantises that use a special form of camouflage referred to as aggressive mimicry, which they not only use to attract prey...
mantis, Brunner's stick mantis, or northern grass mantis, is a species of praying mantis native to the southern United States. It is the only mantis species...
The Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) is a species of praying mantis of the subfamily Stagmomantinae. Sexual cannibalism occurs in roughly one quarter...
List of mantis genera and species Mantodea of North America Dead leaf mantis Flower mantis Grass mantis Leaf mantis Shield mantis Stick mantis Texas A&M...
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