Australian Mantodea with yellow/red eyes?
February 11, 2010
This Praying Mantis (?) was hovering around me this morning, and then it landed close to me on our outside deck in Sydney. We see a lot of them here, but this one had such peculiar red striped eyes on yellow, with little black spots, as in an eye in an eye. I tried to find one like it on Brisbaneinsects website, with now luck. Any ideas?
Ridou Ridou
Sydney, Australia

Snake Mantid

Hi again Ridou,
This presented a bit of a challenge for us, but we are satisfied that we have identified your delicate green mantis as a Snake Mantid, Kongobatha diademata, but alas, though we have a name, and we know that the Snake Mantid is found in Australia, we were unable to locate any additional information.

Snake Mantid

We found a matching image on the Life Unseen website, and the aerial view nicely illustrates the yellow stripe on the thorax also found in your image.  We located a second photo with no accompanying data on a site called Members Optusnet, and that image illustrates eyes similar to those in your photos.

Snake Mantid

Praying Mantis
January 25, 2010
I looked everywhere for one of these mantis and I finally found one, he just showed up on my Grandmother’s porch my sister started screaming when she found him because she knew how long I’d been looking for one. I can’t tell if it’s a male or female and if it’s a chinese or European mantis, can you identify him?
to derek
Shamokin Pennsylvania

Chinese Mantis

Hi Derek,
January is a most unusual time to find a Preying Mantis on the front porch and we would have thought that any mantises would have been killed by the frost or snow.  Your letter didn’t indicate, but we suspect you captured this Chinese Mantis in the autumn, and have been raising it indoors, in which case the life expectancy will be extended.  We believe this is a female Chinese Mantis, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, though we are not certain.  Females are generally larger than males.  According to BugGuide, the Chinese Mantis can be identified are “Tan to pale green. Forewings tan with green along front margin. Compund eyes chocolate-brown at sunset, pale tan soon after sunrise and during the day.“

I caught her about the start of December, thanks for the info, I’m
planning on purchasing some in the summer, I let her go because I couldn’t
get  much to feed it, but they are very interesting  to watch I was pretty
excited when i saw her on your site, Thanks gain for your help. From Derek

Hi again Derek,
Should you ever decide to try to keep a Preying Mantis over the winter months when wild insects are scarce, you can purchase crickets from most pet stores since crickets are commonly fed to lizards and other pets.

I’ll remember that when I get one in spring, I wish I’d known that before
I set the other loose, thanks a lot I’ll be sure to take better  care of
the next one. Thanks, From Derek

Mantis – Violin type
December 11, 2009
Dear WhatsthatBug, I found a type of Mantis in my house sitting on a barsilian rain stick at the end of November 2009. (Just a few weeks ago). I live in the South of France. The house is about 120 meters above sea level and 15 kilomters from the sea. The temperatures indoors are about 21 C at night. The rain stck which I have had for about 12 years – sits in a south facing window and with the sun the temperature would reach 28 to 30 on a sunny day. We have lots of green mantis here – I initially thought the photo was a green one turing into some hybernation state. But I dont think so.
The scale is the main part of the body is about 3 cms long and the the legs streach across about 5 to 6 cms. The rain stick – could it have hybernated and come out after about 12 years. I spent 10 years around Sao Paulo and other parts of Brasil and never saw the likes before. It looks like an Violin Mantis, but whatever it is it is beautiful. I appreciate any comments and advice on identification. Many thanks.
R. Reed, Le Muy, Var, France
South of France Nov 2009

Conehead Mantis

Hi R. Reed,
This is an immature Conehead Mantis, Empusa pennata, which we identified on the Wild Side Holidays website. According to the website:  “This species of mantis, although similar in size to the common European Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa), is easily distinguished by the protrusion from its crown. Both male and females, even from first hatching carry this tall extension giving them a very alien appearance. They live in areas that are warm and dry and use their cryptic colouring of either greens and pinks or various shades of brown to keep them hidden from predators.“  The site also indicates:  “The life cycle of a Conehead Mantis (Empusa pennata) is unusual amongst the European mantids as it hatches in the summer time, remains as a nymph through the winter and does not reach adulthood until the following spring. The ootheca (egg case) is attached to a plant stem and contains around 30 eggs. When the temperatures are right the tiny (1cm) nymphs all hatch at the same time and quickly disperse. From this point until mating in the following year they lead a solitary life. … (A similar coloured mantis Empusa fasciata exists further east around the Mediterranean but does not occur in Iberia.)“ Earlier this year, we posted an image of Empusa fasciata from Macedonia.

Conehead Mantis

Camo Mantis Desert Bug
November 24, 2009
Greetings! I found this lovely little creature in the far western Sonora Desert in the cool of the evening in September. It looked rather like a mantis but moved very quickly across the ground. It was about 3/4 of an inch long. I was lucky to see him at all, I just happened to be looking right there. His camouflage was amazing! And like I said, he was very fast, which does not seem normal for a mantis. Ideas?
bludatta
western Arizona, Sonora Desert

Minor Ground Mantid

Dear bludatta,
We believe this is a Ground Mantid in the genus Litaneutria, most like Litaneutria minor which Charles Hogue calls the Minor Ground Mantid.  It is an active species that runs quickly.  BugGuide has additional images.

Stagmomantis Californica up close.
November 8, 2009
Hey WTB! I thought you might enjoy a couple pictures of this Mantid (which I’m quite sure is a Stagmomantis Californica, please correct me if I’m wrong) perched on a creosote branch.
Michael G.
Southern California, Coachella Valley.

Mantis, but what species???

Hi Michael,
Your photos are great.  We aren’t certain that this is a Stagomantis.  Perhaps one of our readers can supply a definitive identification.