Praying mantids – European mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Although the European mantis was a non-native species in the US, it spread throughout North America in the 20th century and astonishingly became the official symbolic state insect of Connecticut in 1977.
Mantis religiosa exposing two black “eyespots” with a white center at the base of its legs. This behavior (called deimatic display) aims at scaring off predators. Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
Profile
- There are 2 400 mantis species known worldwide that live in various habitats, including forests, deserts, and grasslands.
- The European mantis is native to temperate zones of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but is now found all over the world and is well established in the USA and Canada. Recent studies have shown that the European mantis is expanding its range northward because of climate change.
- The color of a European mantis can be brown, yellow, or green, which helps them to blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection by predators. The color depends on the moisture level of the mantis’ habitat and the photoperiod that the mantis was exposed to.
- In Central Europe, this 7–10 centimeters long insect, can be mistaken for other species like Iris oratoria, Tenodera sinensis, or Hierodula sp. It can be easily distinguished from other species by two remarkable eye spots present on their forelimbs.
- It is characterized by a long, slender body and a large, triangular head, capable of turning 180 degrees. They also have uniquely shaped long, powerful front legs, with which they catch and hold their prey.
- Mantises have excellent vision with two large compound eyes and three simple eyes in between.
- Males and females are easily distinguished from each other as the female's abdomen is divided into 6 segments and the male's abdomen into 8 segments. Males are generally smaller than females.
- Although the European mantis is an effective agent in the fight against agricultural pests, especially aphids, it also consumes beneficial agricultural insects indiscriminately.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Mantodea
- Family
- Mantidae
- Genus
- Mantis
- Species
- M. religiosa
Other praying mantis species that can be spotted in the Euro-Mediterranean Area.
Empusa fasciata. Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
Iris oratoria. Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
Hierodula tenuidentata. Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
Ameles spallanzania. Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
Mantises in Switzerland
The only established mantis species in Switzerland is Mantis religiosa. There have been individual reports of Ameles spallanzania, possibly imported into the country, but it remains to be seen whether the species will establish itself.
Mantis religiosa distribution in Switzerland. Red: sightings after 2000, orange: sightings before 2000. Image: infofauna.ch
Life cycle of praying mantises
Females lay approximately 100–200 eggs in an egg capsule mostly on annual herbaceous plants, thistles, or the surface of rocks around mid-autumn, and they die when the frost sets in. The only difference in appearance between adults and nymphs that hatch from eggs in mid-spring (this may vary depending on the region and external conditions) is that nymphs are wingless. European mantises, which need to eat larger insects as they grow, become adults in the mid-summer after they go through a molting process 6–8 times. September and October are considered the mating season, and are the time when the female needs the most food before laying her eggs. During this stage, females may eat the males (sometimes also other females) to take in the protein and fat needed for the development of their eggs.
Praying mantis egg capsule (ootheca). Image: Adobe Stock
Is sexual cannibalism the rule?
Female mantises are notorious for their habit of devouring males of their own species. This behavior, known as sexual cannibalism, is displayed, especially by M. religiosa, both in the wild and in captivity. However, the probability of this event occurring in nature is reported to be around 30% only. The main purpose of this behavior, also exhibited by various species of scorpions, amphipods, and spiders, is believed to be the increase in reproductive success by improving the female's body fitness. This extreme behavior can be observed during or after mating, and sometimes the male can be eaten before copulation.
Many adaptive* and non-adaptive hypotheses have been proposed regarding the emergence of sexual cannibalism. For example, adaptive hypotheses usually argue that the female's overall fitness improves by consuming the male allowing her to produce more eggs, which positively affects reproductive success. In contrast, some non-adaptive hypotheses suggest that sexual cannibalism could decrease genetic diversity and reduce mating opportunities for some females, especially due to non-copulatory sexual cannibalism.
Besides the nutritional status of the female, various factors influence the emergence of this extreme form of mating behavior, such as the female's mating status, the male's body fitness and the female's genetic predisposition (aggressive* spillover hypothesis). In fact, it has been reported that some praying mantis species exhibit less cannibalism than others and can even be raised communally if there is sufficient food, such as those in the Empusa genus. According to previous research, debates on the adaptive or non-adaptive nature of sexual cannibalistic behavior continue and may vary even on a species level.
A female M. religiosa (left) devouring its partner (right, only the spread wings can be seen). Image: © Kaan Yılmaz
*Glossary
Adaptive and non-adaptive hypotheses: Evolution is driven by multiple adaptive and non-adaptive forces. Natural selection based on environmental factors is an adaptive force that results in the enhanced reproduction of better-adapted individuals. Non-adaptive forces, such as random mutations, happen independently of environmental influences without necessarily improving the fitness of the individual.
Aggressive spillover hypothesis: According to this hypothesis females that are more aggressive (measured by how quick they attack their prey) are more likely to cannibalize potential mates, regardless of the male's nutritional or genetic attributes.
References
Battiston R & Fontana P 2022. Colour change and habitat preferences in Mantis religiosa. Bulletin of insectology, 63(1):85–89. https://openpub.fmach.it/handle/10449/23551
Fisher AM et al. 2020. Behavioural correlations and aggression in praying mantids. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74(5):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02839-8
Gardenia. (2024. Praying mantis. https://www.gardenia.net/guide/praying-mantis Accessed 30.5.24
Gemeno C et al. 2005. Nocturnal calling behavior in mantids. Journal of Insect Behavior 18(3): 389–403. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10905-005-3698-Y
Infofauna.ch 2023. Ameles spallanzania (Mantodea), eine neu in der Schweiz entdeckte Gottesanbeterin. https://www.infofauna.ch/de/node/1882#gsc.tab=0 Accessed 30.5.24
Lawrence SE 1992. Sexual cannibalism in the praying mantid, Mantis religiosa: a field study. Animal Behaviour 43(4):569–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81017-6
Steger Jet al. 2020. Effects of projected climate change on the distribution of Mantis suggest expansion followed by contraction. Web Ecology 20(2): 107–115. https://doi.org/10.5194/WE-20-107-2020
The author
