Weird bug in backyard
September 9, 2009
Bugman, this bug flipped out my 9-yr-old daughter because it was right next to the door handle of our backdoor. First photo shows door lock for perspective, second is enlarged closeup.
So … what’s that bug?
Curious Dad
La Crescenta, Calif

Immature Preying Mantis

Dear Curious Dad,
The immature Preying Mantis in your photo is a harmless beneficial predator.  We are uncertain of the exact species, but it looks to be a native species and not an introduced species.

Small Purple and Green Mantis Nymph in Illinois.
August 29, 2009
I found what seems like it may be an unusual mantis in my front yard. It seems like it is very small for this late in the season, and surprisingly purple.
The wing buds are fairly prominent, does that mean that this is the next to last instar?

immature Carolina Mantis

It is late August in Southern Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis.
I know nymph identification is tricky, but I thought I’d see if anybody had any thoughts, and thought you might like the pictures.
Bert in Illinois
Southern Illinois

Immature Carolina Mantis

Hi Bert,
We believe your mantis is a Carolina Mantis nymph.  There is a very close image that was posted to BugGuide this week from Pennsylvania.  Perhaps one of our readers can confirm or deny.

Immature Carolina Mantis

CA mantis, maybe Litaneutria?
August 19, 2009
Unknown sex/species mantis nymph, found 8/1/2009 on the ground in the foothills of Northern CA. Distinctive: Three short “spikes” in a ridge along its abdomen. Mottled grey coloring is great camoflage on bark.
Robin & Maddie
Sierra foothills, CA (scrub oak/pine)

Ground Mantid

Hi Robin and Maddie,
We believe you are correct in your assessment that this mantis is a Ground Mantid in the genus Litaneutria.  There is a photo on BugGuide that looks very close and shows the ridges on the abdomen.

Spiny Flower Mantis

Spikey Purple Bug
August 6, 2009
All I know about this bug is that it is from South Africa. The person who took it thought it was a Preying Mantis, but I’m not so sure. Also, it appears to be standing on some sort of equally strange-looking plant.
Chris
South Africa

Dear Chris,
This photo is significantly lacking in the type of details that would enable us to determine if the insect is a Mantis, but our first impression is that it is a Mantis.  That is a guess and we could not locate any unusual Mantids from South Africa that match this image.  We did find a photo on the Animal Photo Album Website that appears to be this Mantis and it is labeled a Pink Flower Praying Mantis, but there is no information as to its origins or scientific name.   Can you provide any information as to its size?  Perhaps one of our readers can supply us with an identification.

Update from Karl
I believe your mantid is a Spiny Flower Mantis nymph in the genus Pseudocreobotra (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae). It is either P. ocellata (my guess) or P. wahlbergii. The two species are very similar so I can’t say with certainty.  Coloration among nymphs seems quite variable, ranging from white to brilliant pink, but there are always some areas with a greenish tinge. The adults look quite different, but are as or even  more spectacular. Both species are popular among mantis breeding enthusiasts so there are a lot of photos on the internet. If you type the genus name into the “What’s that Bug” search engine you will find at least four previous postings showing both nymphs and adults. Regards.  K

Chris:
I forgot to add this link to a photo that looks pretty much identical to the one you posted (just a different perspective). You can see that the “spines” are mostly located on the underside of the abdomen which is folded up and over the rest of the body (a common posture for mantids). It does present a confusing image. Cheers.  K

Is this a mantis
Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 11:37 PM
I know this site is geared for North America but I was hoping you or one of your others may help. I found this insect that looks very much like a mantid of some sort but im not sure if it is. I found it in the Asir Region of Saudi Arabia (Khamis Mushayt to be exact), and as long as I can keep it alive I will be able to get more pictures. One thing of note about it is that it is very fast. and blends in very well around here (the environment is very much like the southwest.
Jeremy
Asir Region Saudi Arabia

Eremiaphila brunneri

Hi Jeremy,
In November of 2007, we received a photo of a Desert Mantis from Israel that was identified as Eremiaphila brunneri. At that time we found a website that indicated it is a pebble mimic and that it is not a good species for captivity. Your mantis looks very much like that specimen, and we feel confident that it is either the same species or a close relative. We found a photo of Eremiaphila brunneri on a University of Maryland Picture Perfect Bugs website and it is noted that it is a flightless desert species. The Macroinvertebrate Baseline Survey website states: “This mantid runs very fast on the ground and preys on ants and other small insects. Its colour is very similar to the background and extremely hard to see unless it moves.”

Eremiaphila brunneri

Update with comments on religious beliefs
Daniel-
Thanks for the information and you are very right it is very very hard to see when it is on the ground and it is crazy fast. The only reason that my coworkers and I found it was because we were looking for scorpions and/or camel spiders, we were going to be kind of mean to the guy we work with, because its very funny…they hate anything and everything from chameleons, geckos, snakes and any insect…it has something to do with their interpretation of their religion but that’s off the subject. thanks for all the info I’ll let the other guys know.
Jeremy

Hi again Jeremy,
Your followup letter is of great interest to us. It is not like we have never heard of hatred for diversity, be it of life or lifestyle, being blamed on religious intolerance. Nor is this a taboo subject for What’s That Bug? where often court controversy in the interest of promoting a healthy dialog. Here at What’s That Bug? we try to promote tolerance and appreciation of all living creatures, though we must confess that we are now waging war with Fleas in Los Angeles, and we expect the Sugar Ants to become a major nuisance shortly.

thanks again for the reply I actually just won my war with the sugar ants by being nice to them, I think they got bored lol.  Again I know that you deal with North America but I and my friends here do appreciate the info once I told them what it was they were laughing because I called it, one thought it might be some kind of ant and another thought it was an arachnid of some sort. I hope that it is alright if we submit other queries they will all deal with saudi arabia.
gratefully
Jeremy

By all means, do submit more from Saudi Arabia.  Since we get so many emails and since getting our attention is often the trick to getting your photos posted, we would request that you start to sign your submissions as Jeremy from Saudi Arabia and indicate Saudi Arabia in the subject line as well.  Our frequent correspondent from Australia, Trevor, does the same.