Mating Mantis
Hi Bugman,
I noticed quite a few mating mantis photos on the site, but didn’t see one like this: the male has been decapitated by the female after mating (yet still attached to the female) – quite gruesome! The photo was taken while the pair were on our butterfly bush in Newcastle, CA. And a follow up to the CA Prionus beetle stridulation. They’ve just recently returned and I was able to harass (gently of course) one to induce that freaky sound! This one got pretty fired up and was rubbing both hind legs vigorously across the sides of its closed outer wings.
Ann
Hi Ann,
Thanks for the awesome addition to our site. The female Preying Mantis is one of those creatures notorious for cannibalizing her mate.