The praying mantis lies on his back. Predatory beauty. Mantis Pseudocreoborta wahlbergi in a menacing stance

Arthropod insects from the praying mantis order got their Russian name due to the fact that their forelimbs look like human hands, bent in the arms.

Being in ambush, they take a wait-and-see attitude. In the photo of praying mantises you can see this feature of behavior. A similar posture is associated with the position of the body of a person reading a prayer.

Description of insects

These arthropod insects have an elongated body with a triangular head that rotates around its axis. Praying mantises notice enemies ready to attack them from behind.

See what the praying mantis looks like, the photo shows the complex structure of the bulging eyes. They are located on the sides of the head, the insect also has 3 additional eyes.

Many segments form antennae. The mouth apparatus of the gnawing type is directed downward.

A feature is the pronotum, which expands upward. The trunk is 10 segments. On the latter is a pair of appendages that serve as organs of smell.

Most mantis species have wings and can fly. The anterior pair of wings, narrower than the posterior pair, is used as elytra.

The wider pair of wings at the back can be brightly colored and even patterned. In addition, there are praying mantises without wings, similar to larvae.

Insects have well developed forelimbs. The tarsi have 5 segments and 2 large claws. In addition to the paw, the lower leg, coxa, thigh, and trochanter stand out in the composition of the limb. The femur and lower leg have spikes.

In the process of eating, the praying mantis holds the victim between the lower leg and thigh. The other legs of the insect are distinguished by a typical structure for arthropods. The praying mantis breathes through the tracheal system.

The female praying mantis is larger than the male.

There are species that reach a length of 16-17 cm, but there are also varieties of no more than 5 mm.

The color of the body has a camouflage character. The color literally blends with the environment.

Some representatives of praying mantises resemble leaves, sticks or flowers, others are painted under tree bark, lichens or ashes that are carried by the wind after a fire.

In insects, the color can be different: green, brownish, yellow, and even contrasting. The color of the same individual may change after molting.

Enemies of arthropod insects

Praying mantises can become prey for snakes, chameleons, bats and birds. Having met with the enemy, the insect tries to scare the attacker.

The praying mantis takes a frightening pose and makes frightening sounds. But when the enemy is stronger, he flies away.

How long does a praying mantis live?

Each species has its own lifespan. It can vary between 2 - 11 months.

natural habitat

Praying mantises live in most Asian and European countries in the south and in the central part. Insects can be found in Africa, South and North America and also in Australia.

Praying mantises thrive in tropical and subtropical climates. Insects live in steppes, deserts and meadows. The only reason, along which they leave their habitat - lack of food.

Most mantis species are active in daytime days.

What do praying mantises eat?

These arthropods are predators, so they mainly feed on other insects. Predators prey on flies, mosquitoes, bees, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles and cockroaches.

The largest representatives of this order attack small amphibians, birds and rodents.

How do praying mantises breed?

In insects, the transformation cycle is not complete. Praying mantises are characterized by sexual demorphism. Those who live in the tropics breed all year round. For inhabitants of temperate climate zone the breeding season begins with the onset of autumn.

Males are looking for females to mate with. They dance a ritual dance so that the partner does not see her food in them. For offspring to appear, the process of fertilization is required.

When a female praying mantis lays unfertilized eggs, they become nymphs.

Often, after fertilization, the male dies. His partner eats, thereby replenishing the supply of nutrients.

There are varieties in which the male praying mantis remains alive after fertilization.

The female lays her eggs in trees or tall grass. She has to squeeze them out of her ovipositor.

With the help of a sticky secret from special glands, it protects the fertilized eggs, which are in a kind of capsule. The female, depending on the variety, is able to lay 10-400 eggs.

The capsule or edema can be of various shades from light yellow to gray. After laying eggs, the females soon die. Praying mantis larvae crawl out of eggs at various intervals - from 3 weeks to 6 months.

Mantis photo

This is one of the most unusual and mysterious insects on our planet. It differs from many others in its habits, way of life, some behavioral features which may shock. First of all, this is behavior during the mating season. But this is not main feature praying mantis insect. In this article, we will talk in detail about this amazing creature, its lifestyle, species, and habitats. You will learn what the praying mantis eats, how the reproduction process takes place.

Spreading

The praying mantis is widely distributed in South and Central Europe, South and North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. These insects do not live only in the northern regions, since they are extremely negative about the cold. But in humid and hot climates tropical Africa And South America they feel great.

No less comfortable they feel in tropical forests, in rocky deserts, in the steppe regions. The praying mantis insect rarely moves, preferring its habitat to distant and unknown territories. The only reason that can make him go on a trip is the lack of food.

Types of praying mantis

Scientists believe that our planet is inhabited by about two thousand different species of these insects. Naturally, in this article we will not be able to present you with all the varieties, but we will tell you about the most, in our opinion, unusual representatives of this family.

common praying mantis

It's pretty major representative species: the female is up to seven centimeters long, the male is about six. In the countries of Europe, Africa and Asia, where the praying mantis of this species lives, it can be distinguished by an ovoid abdomen and black spots located on the front pairs of legs with inside. They are usually painted green or brown. This species has well developed wings. In any case, the praying mantis flies quite easily from branch to branch.

Chinese praying mantis

From the name you can understand that China is the birthplace and place of distribution. This is a large insect, reaching a length of fifteen centimeters. The male Chinese mantis is much smaller. They are painted green or brown. The peculiarity of this species lies in the nocturnal lifestyle, although its relatives sleep at night.

In addition, young individuals of this species do not have wings: they grow only after several molts.

Creobroter meleagris

This is a resident of India, Cambodia, Vietnam and a number of Asian countries. In length, such insects reach five centimeters. Painted in cream or white. Their distinctive feature are light brown stripes running over the head and entire body. In addition, one small and one larger cream-colored spot can be seen on the wings.

Flower praying mantis (Indian)

Creobroter gemmatus is common in the forests of Vietnam, South India and other Asian countries. This species does not differ in large sizes: females grow up to only four centimeters, and males are slightly smaller. The body is elongated. For additional protection from enemies, special spikes of various heights are located on the hips of representatives of this species.

orchid mantis

It seems to us that this is the most spectacular praying mantis. It got its name for a reason - for the amazing resemblance to beautiful flowers, orchids. It is on them that the insect sets up an ambush in anticipation of the victim. Females of this species are twice as large as males: eight and four centimeters. Orchid mantises, even among their brethren, are distinguished by amazing courage: they attack even insects that are more than twice their size.

spiny flower mantis

Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii is an inhabitant of Africa. It closely resembles the Indian flower mantis. Its color is especially interesting: on the upper pair of wings you can see a pattern that resembles a spiral. On the abdomen of the representatives of this species there are spines, which gave the name to the species. Representatives of this species are painted in cream shades.

They fly well, and both males and females, due to their low weight, besides, the wings of such insects are well developed. Interestingly, these insects have spots on them that resemble an eye with two pupils, which, according to researchers, can scare away predators. Representatives of the species live in the flowers of plants, where they lie in wait for their prey.

The history of the name of insects

In 1758, the Swedish traveler gave the name to these insects and scientist Karl Linnaeus, who drew attention to the usual pose of a praying mantis, which is in ambush and waits for its prey. It is very reminiscent of the pose of a praying person. The scientist named the insect Mantis religiosa, which can be translated as "religious priest". In Russian, the name came modified - "praying mantis". True, it is not called that way everywhere: for example, in Spain it is called Caballito del Diablo, which translates as "the devil's horse". This somewhat eerie name is probably due to the habits of praying mantises.

Description of praying mantises

The insect has an elongated body, which distinguishes it from many arthropods. This is perhaps the only Living being, which can easily rotate its triangular head 360°. Thanks to this, the praying mantis can see his enemy approaching from behind. The insect has only one ear, but despite this, the praying mantis does not complain about hearing.

Its eyes have a complex faceted structure and are located on the sides of the head, but in addition to them, the praying mantis has three more simple eyes located above the base of the whiskers. Antennae can be pinnate, filiform or comb-like, depending on the species. certain kind. Almost all praying mantis species have perfectly developed wings, but males fly more often, females have a much larger weight, which makes flying difficult.

Praying mantis wings are represented by two pairs: anterior and posterior. The first are the elytra, which practically protect the hindwings, which are quite brightly colored and often with original designs. But the earthen praying mantis (Geomantis larvoides) does not have wings at all.

Circulation in praying mantises is quite primitive, which is explained by an unusual respiratory system. The praying mantis receives oxygen through complex system trachea, which are connected to spiracles (stigmas) located on the abdomen in the back and middle parts of the body. The trachea contains air sacs that increase ventilation of the respiratory system.

Color

Like many insects, praying mantises in nature have the ability to camouflage to protect themselves from enemies. They change body color depending on the habitat: yellow, brown, green. Brown insects are inseparable from the bark of trees, while green ones live on green leaves.

What does a praying mantis eat?

It should be noted that the praying mantis is a predator that feeds on smaller insects and is not afraid to attack prey larger than itself. Flies and mosquitoes, wasps and bees, butterflies and bumblebees, beetles - this is all that the praying mantis eats. Larger varieties are able to attack even small birds, rodents and small amphibians: lizards, frogs.

Praying mantises attack their prey from an ambush, swiftly grab it with their front paws and do not let go until they have completely eaten it.

Mantis lifestyle

Having dealt with what the praying mantis eats, it is necessary to get acquainted with how the life of this insect is organized. The praying mantis leads a sedentary lifestyle, settling in one territory for a long time. If there is enough food around, the insect can spend its entire life on one plant or tree branch.

Despite the fact that praying mantises fly well and have two pairs of wings, they rarely use them, preferring to use their long limbs for movement. Males fly mainly at night, flying from branch to branch. In addition, they move from tier to tier, at the foot of tall trees and on the tops of crowns, depending on where the praying mantises live.

We talked about the fact that these insects do not tolerate cold. Therefore, the question arises of how the praying mantis hibernates. He experiences the cold period of time in the form of diapausing eggs, the laying of which begins in summer and ends in late autumn. A clutch can contain up to 300 eggs. They are until spring in a capsule and easily tolerate frosts up to 18 ° C.

Mantis breeding

Mantis males with onset mating season(as a rule, it falls on autumn), using the sense of smell, they begin to search for females that are ready to mate. Having found his chosen one, the male performs in front of her “ mating dance”, which automatically turns him into a sexual partner. After this, mating begins, during which the female praying mantis bites off the male's head and then completely eats him.

Scientists believe that this behavior has biological causes. By eating her "groom", the female replenishes the supply of protein nutrients that are necessary for future offspring. In rare cases, the male manages to leave the bloodthirsty chosen one in time and avoids the sad fate.

After some time, the female lays eggs, enveloping their entire surface with a special sticky secret that she secretes from the glands. For eggs, this is a kind of protective capsule, which is called ootheca. The fertility of each female largely depends on the species. As a rule, one clutch consists of 300-400 eggs. In eggs treated in this way, insect larvae stay from three weeks to six months, after which they crawl out of them on their own. Then their development proceeds rapidly, and after four to eight molts the larva turns into an adult praying mantis.

Paws folded as if in prayer, a pose full of humility and sorrow - in front of you is a praying mantis - one of the most unusual creatures on earth, which cannot be confused with someone else, but can be easily mistaken for a twig, leaf or blade of grass.

Common praying mantis: close-up photo.

Mantis on cucumbers.

About 3 thousand now known species praying mantis belong to the largest detachment praying mantis - arthropod insects with incomplete transformation. One of the most common species is the religious praying mantis (Mantis religiosa), a representative of the true praying mantis family, named by Carl Linnaeus due to its characteristic prayer posture.

Having examined the praying mantis closer and recognizing its true character, it becomes clear that behind the deceptive humility lies a cunning, cruel and merciless predator, far from being a saint, but rather vicious.

Here is a photo of praying mantises different types from all over the world:

Red praying mantis, photo taken on the island of Crete.

Orchid praying mantis. Habitat - India and Indonesia.

Orchid praying mantis in all its glory.

Phyllocrania paradoxa praying mantis. Habitat - Madagascar.

Mantis Devil's flower. Habitat - East Africa.

Mantis Blepharopsis mendica. Habitat - North Africa, Asia Minor.

Mantis, we find out the type of insect.

What does a praying mantis look like?

Mantises are rather large predators, growing up to 15 cm in length, and females are much more massive and heavier than males. The long body of insects is equipped with well-developed fore and hind wings, which straighten out in a chic fan to intimidate enemies.

The front paws of praying mantises are folded in prayer only at rest, and their main purpose is to capture and hold prey, sometimes much larger than the praying mantis itself. Their thighs and lower legs are covered with rows of large and sharp spikes, to which the praying mantis presses the caught prey, and the hind limbs of insects are well adapted for walking.

Praying mantis on flowers.

Praying mantis on a flower, photo No. 2.

Praying mantises can engage in cannibalism.

Mantis. The photo was taken in the Moscow region. Camera smartphone NOKIA LUMIA 1020.

The most remarkable feature of praying mantises is their triangular head with huge eyes, so mobile that these insects are the only ones that can easily look behind themselves with one turn of their heads.

The oral apparatus of praying mantises is excellently developed, and powerful jaws excellent for grinding large and tough prey.

The art of camouflage

Praying Mantises are known for being unsurpassed masters of camouflage, skillfully using camouflage coloration to blend in harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. For example, some African species of praying mantis turn black in order to successfully hunt on the site of conflagrations.

Most predators are colored in rich, grassy - green color, there are beige and brownish specimens, and only 5 Asian species from the family Metallyticidae are distinguished by a blue-green color with a metallic sheen.

Cunning insects can not only mimic the color of foliage, stones and trees, but also skillfully imitate leaves, shoots, grass stalks and even fruit seeds with the position of their body.

Where do praying mantises live?

Today, these insects are found on southern Europe, in Asia, Africa, America, Australia and are very numerous throughout the range. Praying mantises adapt well in different biotopes and, with an abundant food base, prefer a sedentary lifestyle.

Despite the frightening appearance, the praying mantis is highly valued by the farmers of all countries, they welcome and try to use it as an effective biological weapons for pest control Agriculture.

In America and a number of Asian countries, they are kept as pets - exterminators of flies and mosquitoes, and lovers of exotic insects decorate their insectariums with them.

Common praying mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Ordinary praying mantis, or religious praying mantis.

Common praying mantis.

Common praying mantis in the grass.

Mantis, macro photography.

Praying mantis on top of a rock, against the backdrop of the Black Sea coast.

mantis hunting

Praying mantises spend most of their lives in their characteristic posture, waiting for prey, and thanks to their excellent eyesight, they target prey from afar and swiftly attack when prey is within reach.

Sometimes, young praying mantises feed on their weaker counterparts to survive.

Praying mantises eat various insects, hunt small snakes, frogs and lizards, attack birds and rodents, practice cannibalism on occasion and will not refuse to feast on their own offspring.

These fearless and arrogant predators are not afraid to demonstrate their superiority by intimidatingly bulging their wings, throwing their long paws forward, raising their butt up and rushing into battle. If the potential victim is stronger, the praying mantis retreats and flies away.

Protective mantis stand.

Protective mantis stand.

Ordinary praying mantis, or religious praying mantis (lat. Mantis religiosa).

According to legend, one of the most famous styles of Chinese wushu, tanglangquan or "praying mantis style", originated after a famous master observed the technique of duel between two insects, when a large cicada could not escape from the iron grip of the praying mantis.

Reproduction and praying mantis dance

Praying mantises owe their fame in part to the original behavior of females, who eat males after or during mating. This feature is explained by the need of females for high doses of protein necessary for the development of eggs, so males have to go to various tricks to avoid death.

Praying mantis mating. Transcaucasian praying mantis (Hierodula transcaucasica).

At the end of the last century, researchers studying the Chinese praying mantis noticed how males during courtship perform an eerie but effective dance in front of a female in an attempt to make them perceive themselves as a partner, and not as a food object. It is difficult to judge how much the dance really works, however, about half of the mating ends for the males quite safely.

The female lays from 10 to 400 eggs, which she determines in a capsule - ootheca, and hangs them on bushes, grass and tree branches. In the larval stage, the insect resembles a worm, and after hatching and shedding, it turns into a full-fledged praying mantis. Having been born, the offspring, for the purpose of self-preservation, tries to quickly hide from the mother's eyes.

The life of praying mantises is interesting and short, most individuals live 6 - 7 months, and only specimens wintering in the ootheca are able to live a year.

Mantises are large insects with a narrow elongated body. Born predators and masters of camouflage attack prey from ambush, completely merging with foliage and branches. By exterminating phytophagous insects, they benefit agriculture. Praying mantis is an ordinary typical representative of the praying mantis order, living in Europe. A characteristic feature of insects is the front legs, equipped with tools for grasping and holding prey. There are sharp spikes on the thighs and lower legs, which, like a trap, catch an unwary victim. Many people know about the mating cannibalism of praying mantises. This amazing feature was the inspiration for writing scary stories and filming.

Description of the species

The common praying mantis (Mantisreligiosa) belongs to the order Praying Mantis, which includes 2800 species. The body of the insect is narrow and elongated. Males grow up to 43-52 mm, females are much larger - 50-75 mm. Anatomical feature praying mantis is the structure of the forelimbs. Grasping legs with spiked elongated femora and shins are designed to hold prey. The thigh and lower leg in a ligament function on the principle of scissors. On the inside of the coxae of the forelimbs there is a dark spot with a white mark in the middle.

Interesting fact. Despite the fact that females are larger than males, males have longer antennae and larger eyes.

The head is triangular, movable, the insect is able to look back. On the sides are large, convex compound eyes. In European praying mantises, they have a black pupil. On the forehead there are long filiform antennae and three simple eyes. The mouth apparatus of the gnawing type is directed downwards. The common praying mantis has two pairs of well-developed wings. Light males and young females are able to fly over considerable distances.

The front wings are narrow and leathery, they replace the elytra. The hind wings are wide, in a calm state they are folded on the back like a fan. The pronotum widens in the upper part, but never covers the head. The abdomen is elongated, soft, consists of 10 segments. On the last segment are appendages - cerci. There are 10 pairs of spiracles on the sides of the body.

The color type of the common praying mantis is patronizing. Body color is green (in 80% of cases), yellow, light or dark brown. Camouflage coloring allows you to merge with the environment. When the insect is motionless, it completely mimics the foliage or twig. Camouflage has two functions: it allows you to hunt from an ambush and hide from enemies.

Information. When attacked by an enemy, the praying mantis spreads its wings to increase in size. It sways from side to side and raises its front legs and the edge of its abdomen menacingly. All actions are aimed at scaring off the aggressor. If the enemy is too large, the mantis flies away.

Name history

The scientific name of the species in Latin is Mantisreligiosa. The word mantis is translated "priest", "prophet", religiosa - "religious". Carl Linnaeus chose the name not by chance, waiting for prey, the common praying mantis or religious praying mantis folds its legs into the groove of the thighs. His posture resembles a man frozen in prayer.

Distribution area

The species Mantisreligiosa is thermophilic and cannot be found beyond the 50th parallel. The northern border of distribution in Europe runs along the south of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and France. The common praying mantis is often found in European southern regions, on the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, in Sudan, in the Middle East. Predatory insects were brought to remote parts of the world - New Guinea, USA, partially populated southern Canada. Climate warming contributes to the expansion of the habitat to the north. Imago Mantisreligiosa is recorded in Belarus and Latvia, where it did not live before. In Russia, insects live in large numbers on the Black Sea coast, in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Lifestyle

The praying mantis lives and hunts like a typical ambush. The predator freezes until the prey is within reach. It grabs prey with its front legs and starts eating from the head. Males are careful in choosing objects of hunting, they attack flies, locusts and other small insects. Large females often attack prey almost equal in size to them. Aggressive individuals attack lizards, birds, frogs. They jump on the reptile's back and bite on the head. The fight lasts for several minutes, in the process the hunter can become a victim. With a successful outcome, prey is eaten within 2-3 hours. The female remains full up to 4-5 days.

You can meet Mantisreligiosa in the forest, steppe forbs, in the meadow. Insects do not even avoid major cities where they have adapted to live in grass, parks and gardens. Favorite habitats of the common praying mantis tall trees and shrub. Insects prefer a sedentary lifestyle. They do not leave their familiar territory, they move between tiers. For movement, four limbs are used, less often wings.

With enough food, they spend their entire lives on one plant. Insects have excellent eyesight, they pick up the slightest movement in the environment. Camouflage coloration allows you to quietly approach the prey. Hunting takes place during the daytime. All soft tissues are eaten from the prey, leaving chitinous legs and wings. How long an ordinary praying mantis lives depends on the amount of food and sex. The age of females is longer, on average, representatives of the species in natural conditions live 2-3 months. In captivity, the life expectancy of insects increases several times and is 12-13 months.

Like any insect, the praying mantis has many natural enemies. It is preyed upon by birds, snakes, small mammals, the bats. The arthropod runs slowly, takes off heavily. His frightening dance with wings spread like a fan scares away only inexperienced young birds. For other large hunters, the praying mantis is easy prey.

Value in nature

The biological significance of the common praying mantis is associated with its lifestyle. He is a predator that exterminates harmful insects. Adults and larvae eat phytophages on trees and shrubs. More than once attempts were made to organize the protection of agricultural land with the help of praying mantises. Large-scale plans to use predators as biological weapons against pests have not been successful, but many farmers buy Mantisreligiosa ootheca. They are placed in gardens to safely kill aphids and thrips.

Sexual dimorphism of insects is pronounced in the size of male and female individuals.

The sexual behavior of insects is closely studied by scientists. Relations between partners are divided into two stages:

• preliminary courtship;
• pairing.

In temperate climates, the breeding season is August-September. At the end of the abdomen of males are sensitive organs of smell - cerci. With their help, insects capture the pheromones of females. The process of courtship consists in carefully approaching the object of passion. The male slowly and cautiously moves towards the female, trying to bypass her from behind. When she turns her head, she freezes in place, taking advantage of the fact that praying mantises do not react to motionless figures. Courtship takes several hours, but allows them to stay alive until mating.

Having reached a potential partner, the male jumps on her back. He holds on with his legs, placing them in special grooves on the sides of the female's mesothorax. In this secure position, he begins copulation. The process can take 4-5 hours. In 50% of cases, the male manages to escape. Having run away from the partner to a safe distance, he freezes for a few minutes. It is necessary for rest.

Praying mantises are insects with incomplete transformation. The development of an individual occurs in 3 stages: egg, larva, adult. 10-11 days after fertilization, the female common praying mantis lays eggs. The clutch is 100-300 pieces. A sticky secret is released along with the eggs. After the liquid hardens, an ootheca is formed - a protective capsule in which the masonry is not exposed to external influences. Ootheca yellow or Brown, it is attached to branches or stones. The eggs remain to overwinter.

Larvae

The offspring of praying mantises appear in the spring. The larvae are born with many spines on the body and two filaments on the abdomen. The spikes help the young to get out of the capsule. The larvae hang on the tail threads, this is how the first molt occurs. Before growing up, they will have to go through 4 more molts. Wingless larvae look like adults. They feed on fruit flies, aphids, thrips.

Cannibalism during mating

During the breeding season, under the influence of sex hormones, the aggressiveness of females increases. The partner is in danger if the female has been starving for 2-3 days. She may attack the male before copulation. This will give the necessary nutrients, moreover, the size of the prey is larger than ordinary insects. The partner runs the risk of dying during mating, the loss of the head does not affect copulation. Eating a male after taking a spermatophore has the same reasons. The female praying mantis provides food for future offspring, increasing the chances of production. a large number eggs.

Interesting fact. Males choose to mate large plump females, this reduces the risk of being eaten during fertilization.

Home praying mantis - exotic pet, which can live at home for about a year. Insects are quick-witted, contact, rather large in size. A terrarium is required to accommodate a pet. They come in two types: plastic and glass. The second option is preferable. Air access is provided by a mesh cover. The length of the dwelling should be 3 times the size of the body of the praying mantis.

The heat-loving insect requires a temperature of 22-26°C. You can support it with a special heater or a lamp installed near the container. The recommended humidity is 40-60%. Maintained by daily spraying of the substrate. It is not necessary to put a drinking bowl, there is enough moisture on the walls of the terrarium. The pet is safely picked up, the more contact occurs, the sooner it gets used to the person.

As a substrate, sand or coconut sawdust is poured onto the bottom. Twigs and snags are placed inside, along which the insect will crawl. An important nuance when keeping several common praying mantises is placing them in different containers. This will prevent cannibalism, which is characteristic of the species. Grasshoppers, flies, locusts, crickets, cockroaches serve as food for the predator. Pets are fed every 2-3 days. Depending on the size, 1-3 food insects are given at a time. By launching prey inside the container, you can watch the hunt.

Security measures

Despite the widespread distribution of insects in some regions of Russia, the common praying mantis is listed in the Red Book. Category rare species it is listed in the Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Kurgan, Belgorod and Lipetsk regions. The number of insects decreased as a result of plowing the land, grass fell, continuous hayfields, and the use of pesticides in the cultivation of fields. In the habitats of praying mantises is limited economic activity. To protect the species, it is prohibited to plow plots, graze livestock, use pesticides, kill or capture insects. In Germany, the common mantis is listed on the Red List as a declining species. It cannot be caught in nature and kept at home as a pet.

praying mantis ( Mantodea) is a special order of insects. In a number of features (the structure of the abdomen, wings, the development of special ootheca capsules for eggs), they are similar to cockroaches - according to these features, they were sometimes even combined into one detachment. But in terms of lifestyle and behavior, praying mantises are not at all similar to cockroaches - they are active predators living alone.

The praying mantis is known for its "prayer posture" with its front legs folded "on the chest". These legs are grasping, with sharp spikes, and open like a penknife. By quickly throwing them forward, the praying mantis deftly captures the prey.

In total, about 2 thousand species of praying mantises are known. Large tropical species are able to attack small lizards, birds, frogs. But even an ordinary praying mantis 6 cm in size can kill and eat a 10 cm long lizard in 3 hours and digest it in 6 days. At this time, he is getting fat twice. But the usual food of praying mantises is insects.

Praying mantises have a camouflage color - the color of trees, grass, flowers, sticks, stones, leaves, among which they live. An immobile praying mantis natural environment almost impossible to notice. Only movement can give it away. The praying mantis usually moves very slowly, but in case of obvious danger it is able to crawl away quite quickly - and freeze again in a new place. With a clear attack, this insect behaves differently - it opens its wings, increasing its size, and begins to sway, trying to scare enemies. A number of tropical species make sounds at the same time - the rustling of wings, the clicking of legs. Some praying mantises have contrasting spots on their wings, which are hidden when at rest. But when the wings spread, these spots, like someone's large eyes, suddenly appear in front of the enemy, frightening him. In addition, the attacked praying mantis throws forward its grasping legs, striving to stab the enemy with its spikes.

Mantis Pseudocreoborta wahlbergi in a menacing stance

Praying mantises are predominantly residents of the tropics or subtropics. Most widely distributed common praying mantis (Mantis religiosa): from South Africa before Central Asia, Caucasus, south middle lane Russia - approximately to the line of Kursk, Bryansk, Orel, Belgorod. But along the northern borders of its distribution, the praying mantis is rare. For example, near Kiev, we observed it 1-4 times a year, and near Kharkov - even less often, episodically. But already on the Black Sea coast, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, this is a fairly common insect. There is an ordinary praying mantis in the south of Siberia, in Kazakhstan and in the Far East of Russia. With ships, this species also came to Australia and the USA, and is now found there even in big cities, for example in New York.

We also had unexpected meetings with a praying mantis: either he flew into the window of a house, or he sat on the sidewalk of a city street, at a trolley bus stop. But still, the usual habitat of this insect in the city is close to natural: dense thickets of grass, bushes, trees in parks, botanical gardens.

An ordinary praying mantis has three color forms: green, yellow and brown - the color of the environment where it lives. We met mainly green praying mantises - up to 80% of the meetings. It is possible that the color of this insect also varies according to the areas of distribution, depending on the area in which the colors of the vegetation cover prevail.

You can meet an ordinary praying mantis both in the grass and on the branches of bushes and trees. These insects have well developed wings, but we observed only males flying. They fly especially actively at night, although they can fly from tree to tree during the day. But usually the praying mantis does not seek to move - if there is food, the tree praying mantis can live all his life on one tree or bush, even on one large branch.

The praying mantis has a movable triangular head with developed eyes. He carefully looks around, he is attracted by any slightest movement nearby. Noticing a moving object of a small size, a hungry praying mantis begins to slowly move towards it and, approaching, grabs it with agile legs and eats it. The praying mantis can catch small insects, motionlessly waiting for them in ambush, using its protective coloration. But large prey, equal to or even larger than it in size, for example, an adult locust, the praying mantis actively pursues, crawls towards it openly, tries to jump on its back and grabs it, first of all by the head. Then immediately begins to eat, also from the head.

Stationary objects do not evoke any reaction in the mantis, they only catch moving prey (similar behavior can be seen in many spiders). But the mantis necessarily reacts to a moving object. In experiments, these insects even tried to catch the image of a colored square moving on a white screen.

If a large object that suddenly appears nearby is too large, the praying mantis can show a defensive reaction - then it spreads its wings and throws its legs forward with a special repulsive movement, trying to put forward their sharp ends and spikes. A well-fed, weakened or old praying mantis also repels insects approaching him, which under other conditions would become his prey.

The praying mantis is gluttonous. Larvae eat 5–6 aphids, fruit flies, house flies per day; an adult insect can eat 7–8 cockroaches about a centimeter long in a row, spending about half an hour for each. Having caught a cockroach, the praying mantis begins to gnaw its soft parts, especially the abdomen, at the end - the harder ones, in particular the head. Only wings remain from the cockroach, sometimes pieces of legs, and the praying mantis eats soft insects almost without a trace.

The breeding season for praying mantises in temperate climates stretches from August to September. At this time, males begin to migrate in search of females. At the end of the abdomen of praying mantises there are special outgrowths - cerci, they are the organs of smell. In males, the cerci are better developed and, perhaps, help in finding partners.

It is widely believed that the larger and voracious female praying mantis will definitely eat the male when they meet. However, in reality this is not always the case. Noticing the female, the male praying mantis cautiously and very slowly, with frequent long stops, freezes, begins to approach her, swaying slightly. The female at this time can catch prey, eat, clean herself. If she notices the movement of the male and turns her head towards him, he immediately freezes for a long time. This approach and contact can last 5–6 hours. As a rule, the male tries to approach the female from behind, from the back - this is the most successful and safe way for him. But if he approaches from the side, then the female often notices him and attacks. Hungry females are the most aggressive, a well-fed insect reacts sluggishly to moving objects, and this also helps the male to protect itself from attack. Settling down at the back of the female and quickly leaving after the meeting, the male praying mantis often remains alive. So cannibalism among these creatures is not such an obligatory phenomenon, as it seemed before.

When laying eggs, the fertilized female simultaneously secretes a special sticky liquid. Enveloping the eggs and hardening, this liquid forms a capsule - an ootheca, in the middle of which there are 100-300 eggs. Oootheca sticks to plants or stones, it is quite hard, retains inside the moisture necessary for the development of eggs and protects them from negative external influences. Common praying mantis eggs in ootheca can withstand short-term frosts down to -18 °C.

The eggs of praying mantises from the south of central Europe, apparently, need temporary cooling for development - winter diapause. When breeding in captivity, it is enough to keep the praying mantis eggs in the refrigerator for a month at a temperature of 0 ... +3 ° C. But in the tropics, the development of mantis eggs occurs without diapause.

The newborn praying mantis larva has long filaments at the end of the abdomen and many spines pointing backwards on the body. These spines help her crawl out of the ootheca. But the tail threads of the larva are clamped by the edges of the egg capsule - then the larva immediately molts, leaves the old skin and becomes like an adult praying mantis, only small and wingless. It has a protective coloration, but is very mobile compared to adult insects.

At first, the larvae feed on small thrips, aphids, then, as they grow, they switch to fruit flies and larger flies. When kept in captivity, in a limited space, praying mantis larvae actively attack each other. But in nature, they manage to settle before it comes to mutual destruction.

In Europe and Central Asia, praying mantis larvae usually appear in April-May. After about two and a half months, after molting 5 times, they turn into adult insects. After another 10–14 days, males begin to look for females.

An adult insect lives 55–60 days. Males usually die before females - after the breeding season, they become lethargic and stop hunting. The male praying mantis, caught in nature by an adult, died in our captivity by the end of September, and the female in October. Even when creating optimal conditions, with an abundance of food, heat and light, praying mantises die during October, depending on the time of their birth in the spring. That is, the life span of 2 months given to an adult insect is very tough. The old praying mantis has dark brown spots on its body, its green bright coloring fades. A chemical analysis of the body of an insect during this period reveals the disappearance of vital amino acids in the body, in particular valine, leucine, lysine, tryptophan, methionine, threonine, etc. Adding these amino acids to the food and water for the praying mantis, as well as vitamins A, D, E and a complex of vitamins of group B prolongs its life up to late December, i.e. 2-3 months compared to the usual period.

In addition to the usual, in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the Southern Volga region, in the south of Siberia, in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it is found spotted mantis (Iris polysticica). In the south of the steppe belt, you can meet praying mantises from the genus Bolivaria, and in Central Asia - tree praying mantises Hierodula.

empuses (Empusa) are found in the south of Europe, in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, in Central Asia and in the south of Kazakhstan. These praying mantises have a very characteristic appearance: a triangular head with a pointed end and a special outgrowth sticking out in front - in this way they resemble little devils. These rather large insects (females reach 6.5 cm, males are slightly smaller) are generally similar to the common praying mantis, but slenderer, with a thinner abdomen. Empuse males have developed feathery antennae, which indicates a good perception of odors. Species of this genus are very active at night. Their larvae appear in the summer and are noticeably larger than the larvae of other praying mantises, so they immediately begin to feed on small flies (rather than thrips and aphids), and quickly switch to feeding on grasshoppers and butterflies. Unlike a number of other praying mantises, in empusas, not eggs in the ooteca hibernate, but already grown larvae and even adults.

In addition to praying mantises living on plants, desert species are also found in Central Asia. They are small in size, keep on sand, stones and move quickly in search of prey. Their movements are similar to ants. These are, for example, rivetins ( Rivetina). Praying mantises-crumbs from the genus Armen ( Armena) are about 1.5 cm in size and are found not only in deserts, but also in the mountains, at an altitude of up to 2.7 km, where they hide under stones. Desert and mountain species of praying mantis also have a corresponding gray inconspicuous color.

To a certain extent, praying mantises, especially their larvae, are useful insects, because. destroy pests, especially on fruit trees, berry bushes. So, the Central Asian tree praying mantis during its development eats about 25 g different insects. However, some beneficial species e.g. bees, riders. Attempts to use praying mantises for agricultural pest control, their mass breeding and resettlement for these purposes have not yet yielded results. But these insects still deserve careful treatment in their habitats.

IN last years in a number of places, praying mantises become rare, in particular in the Crimea - empuses, spotted-winged praying mantises, and bolivarians. A possible reason for this is the destruction of the habitats of these insects, dense steppe vegetation, and the plowing of steppe virgin lands. But while maintaining small areas of dense herbs - micro-reserves for insects and limiting the use of pesticides, mantises can also be preserved. It is especially desirable to do this on the northern outskirts of their range, in Russia, where praying mantises are already quite rare.

Literature

Gornostaev G.N. Insects of the USSR. – M.: Thought, 1970.

Life of animals. T. 3. Invertebrates. - M .: Education, 1969.

Plavilshchikov N.N. Insect identifier. - M .: Education, 1957.

Chervona Book of Ukraine (Tvarinny retinue) / Ed. MM. Shcherbak. - Kyiv: Ukrainian Encyclopedia, 1994.