Subject: Praying Mantis
Geographic location of the bug: south eastern IL
August 27, 2017 9:36 AM
Your letter to the bugman: I am wondering what species of mantis this is.
How you want your letter signed: Thank you
This looks to us like a female Carolina Mantis, Stagmomantis carolina, when compared to this BugGuide image. The wings of the female fall short of the tip of the abdomen. Despite its name, the Carolina Mantis has a range that extends over much of the eastern U.S., as BugGuide date indicates. The native Carolina Mantis is much smaller than Mantid species that have been introduced, and they often fall prey to larger Chinese Mantids and European Mantids.
