European mantis
| Praying mantis Mantis religiosa |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Adult female Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Mantodea |
| Family: | Mantidae |
| Subfamily: | Mantinae |
| Tribe: | Mantini |
| Genus: | Mantis |
| Species: | M. religiosa |
| Binomial name | |
|
Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Subspecies | |
Mantis religiosa, with the common name praying mantis, and outside Europe the European mantis, is an insect in the family Mantidae. It is one of the most well-known and widespread species of the order Mantodea, the Mantises.
Mantis religiosa is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was introduced to North America in 1899 on a shipment of nursery plants from southern Europe. Now it is found from the Northeastern United States to the Pacific Northwest, and across Canada.
Despite being an introduced species, it is the official state insect of Connecticut.
The European mantis is usually 5–7.5 cm (2.0–3.0 in) in length, and has shades of bright green to tan. It can be distinguished easily by a black-ringed spot beneath the fore coxae.
Mating pair of Mantis religiosa, Lower Austria
Adult male Mantis religiosa in Saône-et-Loire (71, France) in September, 2008
Brown adult male Mantis religiosa 2008 October, Cerreto Ratti, Alessandria
Mantis religiosa nymph, France
Adult male Mantis religiosa
Brown adult female Mantis religiosa
Green adult female Mantis religiosa, France
Adult Mantis religiosa religiosa in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Ootheca in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Damaged ootheca in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Wikipedia