Mantis insect: what is dangerous and useful for humans? What do praying mantises eat? - Useful information for everyone Why the praying mantis refuses to feed

The praying mantis is perhaps one of the most amazing and strange insects on our planet, both in its habits and way of life, some features of which can slightly (or even strongly) shock us people. Yes, we are talking about the famous mating habits of praying mantises, when the female praying mantis after the mating process (and sometimes right during the process) eats her unlucky cavalier. But, of course, praying mantises are not only remarkable for this, and in our today's article we will tell you about all aspects of the life of these unusual insects.

Origin of the name praying mantis

The academic name for the praying mantis back in 1758 was given by the great Swedish naturalist Karl Liney, who drew attention to the fact that the pose of the praying mantis, which is in ambush and guarding prey, is very similar to the pose of a man who folded his hands in prayer to God. Because of such a striking similarity, the scientist gave the insect Latin name « Mantis religiosa”, which literally translates as “religious priest”, but the name “praying mantis” itself came into our language.

Although it is not called that everywhere, our hero also has other, by no means so blissful names, for example, in Spain he is called Caballito del Diablo - the devil's horse or simply - muerte - death. Such creepy names are obviously associated with no less creepy habits of praying mantises.

What does a praying mantis look like: structure and characteristics

The structure of the praying mantis is characterized by an elongated body, which distinguishes it from other arthropod insects.

The praying mantis is perhaps the only living creature that can easily turn its triangular shape, head all 360 degrees. Thanks to such a useful skill, he can see the enemy approaching from behind. He also has only one ear, but, despite this, just excellent hearing.

The praying mantis eyes of a complex faceted structure are located on the sides of the head, but in addition to them, our hero has three more simple eyes above the base of the antennae.

The antennae of praying mantises are comb-like, feathery or filiform, depending on the species of the insect.

Praying mantises, almost all of their species, have well-developed wings, but mostly only males can fly, females, by virtue of their more weight and size, it is more difficult to fly than males. Praying mantis wings consist of two pairs: anterior and posterior, the anterior ones serve as a kind of elytra protecting the hindwings. Also, pilgrimage wings usually have bright colours, and sometimes they even meet original drawings. But among the many varieties of praying mantises, there is such an earthen praying mantis (the Latin name is Geomantis larvoides), which does not have wings at all.

Praying mantises have well-developed forelimbs, which have a rather complicated structure - each of them consists of many parts: trochanters, hips, shins and legs. From the bottom of the thigh there are large sharp spikes arranged in three rows. There are also spikes (albeit smaller ones) on the praying mantis shin, which is adorned with a sharp, needle-shaped hook at the end. See the picture for an exemplary structure of the praying mantis foot.

Praying mantises keep their prey just between the thigh and lower leg until their meal is over.

Praying mantis circulation is primitive, but there is a reason for this - an unusual respiratory system. The praying mantis is supplied with oxygen by a complex system of tracheae connected to dichals (stigmas) on the abdomen in the middle and back of the body. The trachea contains air sacs that enhance ventilation throughout the respiratory system.

Praying mantis sizes

We have already mentioned above that the female praying mantises are much larger than the males, oddly enough, this is their main sexual difference.

A species of praying mantis, called in Latin Ischnomantis gigas and living in Africa, can reach 17 cm in length, perhaps this representative of the praying kingdom is a real champion in size.

Ischnomantis gigas is the largest praying mantis in the world.

Heterochaeta orientalis or Heterochaeta orientalis is a little inferior to him, it reaches 16 cm in length. Ordinary praying mantises are much smaller, on average no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length.

praying mantis color

Like many other insects, praying mantises have excellent camouflage abilities, this biological way protection from predators, because of this, their colors have, depending on environment, green, yellow and brown tones. Green mantises live on green leaves, while brown ones are inseparable from the bark of trees.

What does the praying mantis eat

It's no secret that our hero is a notorious predator who loves to eat like more small insects, and not afraid to attack prey larger than even himself. They eat flies, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, bumblebees, butterflies, beetles, etc. Large representatives of the praying family (see above) can even attack small rodents, birds and small amphibians: frogs, lizards.

Praying mantises usually attack from an ambush, suddenly grab the prey with their front paws and do not let go until they are completely eaten. strong jaws allow these gluttons to eat even relatively large prey.

Mantid Enemies

Although praying mantises are excellent predatory hunters, they themselves can also become prey for snakes, some birds, or bats. But the main enemies of praying mantises, perhaps, are their own relatives - other praying mantises. There are often life-and-death fights between two rival praying mantises. The fights themselves, both between praying mantises and with other insects, are very spectacular, first of all, the praying mantis seeks to scare the opponent, for this he takes a special frightening pose - throws his front paws forward and lifts his belly up. All this may be accompanied by appropriate threatening sounds. Such a show of strength is by no means feigned, praying mantises are desperately brave and with courage rush even at a much larger opponent. Thanks to such courage and bravery, praying mantises often emerge victorious from such fights.

Where does the praying mantis live

Almost everywhere, since their habitat is very wide: Central and Southern Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia. They are not only in northern regions, since praying mantises are not very accustomed to the cold. But they are great, for example, a hot and humid climate. tropical Africa and South America. Praying mantises feel great in tropical forests, and in the steppe regions, and in stony deserts.

They rarely move from place to place, preferring their usual habitat to unknown distant places, the only reason that can encourage them to travel is the lack of food supply.

Types of praying mantises: photos and names

Scientists have counted about 2000 different types of praying mantises, unfortunately we will not be able to bring them all in our article, but we will describe in our opinion the most interesting representatives.

The common praying mantis lives in most countries of Europe, Asia, Africa. The common praying mantis is a very large representative of the praying kingdom, reaching up to 7 cm (female) and 6 cm (male). As a rule, they are green or brown in color, the wings are well developed, at least it is not a problem for the common praying mantis to fly from branch to branch. Abdomen ovoid. This type of praying mantis can be distinguished by a black spot, which is located on the coxae of the front pair of legs from the inside.

Obviously, China is the birthplace and main habitat of this species of praying mantis. The Chinese praying mantis is quite large, females reach up to 15 cm in length, but the size of males is much more modest. have green and brown colors. A characteristic difference chinese praying mantis is their night image life, while their other relatives still sleep at night. Also, young individuals of Chinese praying mantises do not have wings, which grow only after several molts, at the same time they acquire the ability to fly.

The praying mantis Creobroter meleagris lives in southwest Asia: India, Vietnam, Cambodia and a number of other countries. Usually reach 5 cm in length. The colors are white and cream. You can recognize them by the light brown stripes that run throughout the body and head. Also on the wings they have one small and a large spot of white or cream color.

He is the mantis Creobroter gemmatus especially loves moist forests South India, Vietnam and other Asian countries. This species is small, females grow up to only 40 mm, males up to 38 mm. The body is more elongated than that of other relatives. And for additional protection, on the thighs of the Indian praying mantis there are special spikes different heights. Cream colored. Representatives of this species excellent fliers, and both males and females, due to their low weight, besides, both pairs of wings are well developed. Interestingly, on the front wings they have a spot similar to an eye with two pupils, which scares off predators. Flower mantises live, as their names imply, in the flowers of plants, where they guard their prey.

He is the praying mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii lives in the countries of southern and East Africa. In terms of lifestyle, size, it is very similar to the Indian flower mantis. But its coloring is especially interesting - it is really artistic, on the upper pair of wings there is an interesting pattern resembling a spiral or even an eye. On the abdomen of this species there are additional spines that gave it its name.

Orchid praying mantis - in our opinion is the most beautiful representatives of the praying mantis in the world. It also received its name not casually, namely for resemblance with beautiful orchids, on which he actually hides in ambush in anticipation of the next victim. females orchid praying mantis exactly twice as many males: 80 mm versus 40. And even among other praying mantises, orchid mantises are distinguished by amazing courage, representatives of this species are not afraid to attack even insects that are twice their size.

Oriental heterochaete or spiky-eyed mantis is one of the largest mantises in the world (the female reaches 15 cm in length) and lives in most of Africa. These praying mantises live in the branches of bushes, for their benefit appearance also resembles twigs.

Mantis breeding

And here we move on to the most interesting part, namely the reproduction of mantises, which, as a rule, has a sad and tragic end for males. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, but let's start in order. With the onset of the mating season (usually in autumn), male praying mantises begin to search for females ready for mating with the help of charm organs. Finding one, he performs in front of her a special “ mating dance”, which translates it into the rank of a sexual partner. Then the mating process itself begins, during which the female praying mantis has a bad habit of biting off her male's head and then completely eating him. Some scientists believe that this behavior, which is more than terrible in our opinion, also has its own biological reasons - having eaten her “groom”, the female, in such a simple way, replenishes the reserves of protein nutrients necessary for future offspring.

Although it also happens that the male manages to get away from his “beloved” in time than to avoid the sad fate of food.

After some time, the fertilized female lays eggs, at the same time enveloping them with a special sticky secret that is secreted by their special glands. This secret serves as a kind of protective capsule for the eggs of future praying mantises and is called ootheca. The fertility of the female depends on her species, usually the female is able to lay from 10 to 400 eggs at a time.

Praying mantis larvae stay in the eggs from three weeks to six months, after which they crawl out of the eggs. Further them development is underway at a fairly fast pace and after about 4-8 molts, the larva is already reborn into an adult praying mantis.

Keeping praying mantises at home

Terrarium

It would be a very exotic and unusual act to have a pet praying mantis, right? However, there are people who have such “pets” and if you want to join them too, then the first thing you have to take care of is the terrarium. A relatively small, glass or plastic terrarium with a mesh cover is suitable, its dimensions should be at least three times the size of the praying mantis itself. Inside it would be nice to place twigs or small plants on which the praying mantis will climb like trees.

Temperature

Praying mantises are thermophilic insects, so optimum temperature for them it will be from +23 to +30 C. You can use special heaters for terrariums.

Humidity

Also, do not forget about humidity, which is also important for these insects. The optimal humidity for praying mantises is 40-60%, and to maintain it, you can put a small container of water inside the terrarium.

How to feed praying mantises at home

Living food. Crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, flies are perfect. Some species of praying mantis will not mind eating ants. And with all this, they need to be fed regularly, so keeping such “pets” can be somewhat troublesome. But praying mantises do not need to be watered, since they get the fluid they need from food.

• One of the styles of Chinese wushu martial arts is named after the mantis, according to legend, this style was invented by a Chinese peasant watching the mantis hunt.
• In the Soviet Union at one time they wanted to industrially use praying mantises as biological protection from agricultural pests. True, this idea had to be abandoned, since the praying mantises also ate beneficial insects, the same bees.
• Since ancient times, praying mantises were frequent heroes different myths and legends among African and Asian peoples, for example in China, they personified stubbornness and greed, and the ancient Greeks attributed to them the ability to predict the onset of spring.

www.poznavayka.org

So how do you take care of him?

• Be careful with your pet and do not drop it, otherwise it may die;
• The longer you watch and pick up the praying mantis, the faster it will become tame;
• Do not allow excess liquid to accumulate in the terrarium, as it may attract ants;
• Transparent terrarium for praying mantis fit better, so it will be easier to observe him;
• Food for your pet can be purchased at a pet store;
• It is better to raise a pet yourself than to catch an adult praying mantis.

A warning

• Do not feed your pet with too large insects;
• Be careful with spiders, because they can be poisonous to the praying mantis;
• Remember that two praying mantises will never live peacefully in the same container and can kill each other.

zoa.su

A little about the insect

An adult praying mantis can have quite large sizes- its length can be ten or more centimeters.

The color of this insect can be yellow, green, light brown or other, depending on the environment. Having the ability to mimic by nature, the praying mantis can merge with branches, plants and stones that have a similar color, and therefore it will be very difficult to notice.

It has a triangular, highly movable head, with which it can rotate 180 degrees. The front paws with sharp spikes are well developed, with which he captures his prey and holds it while eating. The praying mantis also has wings, but it flies very poorly, so most often it sits motionless in one place, waiting for prey.

The lifespan of a domestic praying mantis is about two months, but certain types, according to some sources, can live for about a year.

Temperature regime

Since insects are tropical inhabitants, it is necessary to keep the praying mantis at home in temperature regime from 20 to 25 ° C, while also observing the required humidity regime. Maintaining humidity in the praying mantis cage is not difficult, just spray water over the cage once a day, this will be enough.

How does a homemade praying mantis eat

How to feed a praying mantis at home? Such pets prefer aphids, flies, as well as other insects that are suitable in size. Young individuals grow very quickly, provided that the owner feeds them well.

Many representatives of mantises can be aggressive towards their relatives, so cannibalism is quite possible, especially if there is a significant difference in size between individuals. Domestic praying mantises may also consume insects of the same size, or perhaps even larger than themselves.
Praying mantises in most cases do not drink water, however, you should place a container of water in the place where they are kept. It will also serve as a source of moisture to maintain the desired microclimate. In the absence of a container, a necessary condition will be to spray water to ensure humidity.

Living conditions

In the stages of its development, the praying mantis tends to shed its skin, thus increasing in size. For individuals that have just been born, a small container will be an excellent housing, but for teenagers, you can use a jar or something similar in size. The temporary dwelling of young praying mantises should be covered with a film, after making a hole in it for feeding. A prerequisite is the presence of branches in the container, which should be exactly three times larger than the young.

Reproduction features

Young praying mantis home maintenance almost no gender difference, but adults can be easily recognized due to the fact that males have eight lobes on the abdomen, but females have only six. Before insects start mating, they need to be fed. large quantity feed, while separating from each other. In order for the male not to become food for the female, a large container is needed where the breeding process will take place. The whole action may take several minutes or days, but the presence of food is required. After mating is over, the male is separated from the female.

The female can produce eggs in quantities from 30 to 300 pieces. The larvae will be born in the interval from 3 to 6 months, while hatching, they may not all at once.

The main nuance for keeping praying mantises at home is the presence of a large container for their habitat, in which live food must be present, as well as the ability to hide its inhabitants. By observing these requirements, cannibalism will be excluded, however, after the insects shed several times, they must be seated.

If you want to get yourself an unusual insect, then house praying mantis fit perfectly. This insect is undemanding in content and does not take up much space. Such a pet can be caught in wild nature or purchase at a pet store.

And if you haven't chosen yet pet to match yourself, pay attention to the terrible tarantula - the hero of Hollywood horror films or his eternal enemy - the scorpion.

ekzopit.ru

- carnivorous insects. Most species of praying mantis live in tropical countries, although some species are found in the northern regions. The closest relatives are stick insects, grasshoppers and cockroaches. Like relatives, praying mantises undergo metamorphoses, they go through several stages of growing up.

For the most part, praying mantises are of tropical origin, so they should be kept warm (20-25 "C). Young praying mantises feed on aphids, fruit flies, fruit flies and other small insects. Young people grow rapidly if you provide them a large number of stern.

Most praying mantis species are aggressive towards each other and if kept together they can eat each other, especially if one praying mantis is larger than the others. Almost all praying mantises are good at eating insects that are the size of the praying mantis or even larger.

Praying mantises usually do not drink, however, it is good if there is a small dish of water in the room where they are kept. A dish of water also provides the necessary moisture. If there is no dish, then it is necessary to spray water every day.

Housing. As the mantis grows, it will shed its skin several times, growing larger in each stage. For newborn insects, a small container, such as a yogurt cup, is suitable, a teenage praying mantis can be transplanted into a jar of jam or a bottle of milk. The top of the yogurt cup should be covered with cling film. A small hole must be made in the film to feed the feed. A tube can be inserted into the hole to provide fresh air. Regardless of the type of container used, branches should be placed in it so that the insect can crawl and hang on them (during the molting period). The height of the container (floor to ceiling) should be three times the length of the insect.

reproduction. It is difficult to distinguish between male and female young individuals, but it is easy in adult praying mantises: males have eight lobes on the inside of the abdomen, females have six. Before mating (separately from each other), the male and female are heavily fed for several days. It is advisable to use a large container for breeding, otherwise the female may eat the male. Mating may occur immediately or it may take several days. Food must always be present in the cage so that the female can eat during mating. After the end of mating, the male sits down.

The female (depending on age and species) can lay 30 to 300 eggs. The emergence of larvae from eggs is observed between 3-6 months. Young people can be born all at once or in different time. Young praying mantises can be kept together for some time, but then the container should be large, there should be many secret places in it, live food should constantly live, all these conditions will prevent cannibalism. After the second or third molt, the praying mantis should be seated.

Copyright holder: portal Zooclub
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, the use of the article will be considered a violation of the "Law on Copyright and Related Rights".

zooclub.ru

What is undesirable to feed praying mantises:

Cricket (Gryllidae). By itself, the cricket is a harmless insect. If you caught him on the street, you can safely feed him. But the cultures sold in pet stores live on artificial feed, because of which harmful bacteria develop in the body of crickets. The immunity of praying mantises very often cannot cope with such an infection, and cases of cricket poisoning have been recorded not only among them. Many people (usually Sphodromantis mantis keepers) will try to confuse you and say that this is all nonsense. And you, of course, believe them, which you will regret. Why Sphodromantis? Yes, because they are one of the most powerful praying mantises in the culture, which almost no infection takes (but the cricket can cope with them). By the way, people who breed crickets themselves claim that praying mantises live perfectly on it, but, as you understand, not a single good keeper is going to test their theories on their living creatures.

Cricket dust. This is a separate issue. Newborn crickets have not yet gained any rubbish in the body, so they are perfectly fed to the praying mantises of the first molts. But I will leave this kind of food here because it seems to me that it is completely useless. Dust is more expensive than Drosophila, does not multiply (ends in 3-4 days), requires separate feeding, is not juicy and nutrient-rich KO. That is, it is inferior to Drosophila in all respects.

Lionfish (Hermetia illucens). In addition to the cricket, there are a number of food animals that are not recommended for the praying mantis. This is, first of all, the Black Lion. Lionfly larvae serve as nutritious food for reptiles, therefore, in recent times it is increasingly seen in specialized stores. But do not be fooled: the flies themselves accumulate substances in the body that lead to failure nervous system and the death of the praying mantis, which was recently proven by Sergei Pugaev, unfortunately, in his own experience. Feeding a lionfish is even worse than feeding a cricket and a maggot at the same time.

Turkmen cockroach (Shelfordella tartara). The second undesirable food object is the Turkmen cockroach. Its action on digestive system the praying mantis is similar to the action of the cricket, although cases of departure are much less common. Moreover, the cockroach is deficient in nutrients, so even robust praying mantises that feed on uninfected cockroaches can shed poorly, and pregnant females often fail to ootheca. Feeding by Turkmens is permissible, but with the obligatory use of other feeds.

Red cockroach (Blattella germanica). Is it possible to catch an ordinary cockroach at home and feed it to a praying mantis? Not! The Prussians eat all sorts of muck and gain toxins from cockroach poison. Such food is not suitable for a praying mantis. However, there are people who have raised the culture of the Red cockroach and feed them well, the breeding cockroach will not pose a danger to the praying mantis. Do you just need it? If there is an escape from such a colony, after all, not only the praying mantis will have to catch cockroaches ...

Maggot and his friends. I would like to start the last item on the list with the words: “About boiling”. The fact is that in our time there are a lot of smart people who, under various pretexts, feed all sorts of rubbish to praying mantises. Let me, once again, specifically for them, list some foods that are strictly prohibited for use: maggot, bloodworm, worms, snails ... Do you understand the logic? Everything that the praying mantis does not normally eat in nature, he should not eat at your place. This is poison. Muchnik and zofobas, by the way, are also included in the list, like any larvae. They are too fat, which at least disrupts the formation of ootheca in females and shortens their life. Yes, and more. Giving the praying mantis meat (raw, boiled, fried, rotten, your finger too) is IMPOSSIBLE. It simply will not be digested and will clog the digestive system.

Phew! I hope you are not confused, I tried to be more detailed. The ideal option is to combine 3-4 types of food and see who the praying mantis takes more willingly. But for most simple species, only Marble cockroaches are enough. Okay, let's assume that now you understand the issue of feeding the praying mantis, and we can go further.

vdbr.ru

Description

The coloration is protective, very variable, ranging from green or yellow to brown-gray or dark brown. The pronotum is of moderate length, the forelegs are prehensile, in addition to getting food, they are also used for locomotion. Hind legs running. The wings are well developed in both the male and the female (although females fly very poorly and reluctantly due to their impressive size). Abdomen ovoid, rather long.

How to keep a praying mantis as a pet?

A praying mantis can be a fun and cuddly pet. This pet is intuitive and smarter than most members of the insect family. The praying mantis can often live up to a year, and sometimes more if properly cared for. In fact, some naturalists even claim that the praying mantis can recognize a person.

1. Make a home for the praying mantis

The container for keeping the praying mantis should not be too large so that he can find his prey and, at the same time, it should not be too small so that he is not too crowded. The length of the container should be 3-4 times longer than the praying mantis itself, and the height should be at least 2 times its length. The reason for this is that the praying mantis needs to have enough space to follow its prey, but not too much, otherwise it won't be able to find it.

2. Create the right environment

For the life of a praying mantis, a favorable environment is necessary. Make holes in the top of the lid or container so the mantis can breathe. The cage should have several plants of the same color as the insect so that your pet can disguise itself, but the cage should not be crowded. The bottom of the container should be filled with a layer of soil about 1.2 cm thick, preferably sand. Make sure the container is not too damp. If its sides are foggy, add a few more holes on the top or sides. Spray the inside of the cage with water about once a day so that the praying mantis has water to drink. The praying mantis will climb up the side of the container and lick the water. If you place an open container of water in his dwelling, the praying mantis may fall into it and drown.

3. Feed the praying mantis

The nutritional requirements of a praying mantis will vary depending on their growth stage, although if in general they don't need a lot of food.

• For grubs purchased from a pet store: Feed fruit flies, small crickets, mosquitoes, aphids, and other small insects.
• For a mature moulting praying mantis (instar): proceed to increase the size of the insects, and then in each shedding period, feed normally, but remove anything he ignores because the mantis may not eat during the moult.
• For a fully grown praying mantis, you will have to work hard: catch butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers, or even house flies. In the wild, praying mantises will consume anything they can catch and hold. They have even been known to eat bees and wasps in the wild, but you probably don't want to mess with them.
• It is not necessary to buy crickets from a pet store, although some people will tell you that using wild crickets can make your pet sick. There may not be any harm... for store-raised praying mantises, but there will be harm for wild-caught ones. When it comes to pet store-bought crickets, be careful. Many pet stores don't feed or properly care for crickets, and any diseases these crickets may end up passing on to your mantis. If you're unsure, feed store-bought or wild-caught crickets a good diet for a few days to help them deal with the bacteria in their gut and they'll be fine.
• Do not feed your praying mantis live food that is larger than it, or that might eat your praying mantis.

What to feed the praying mantis in winter?

If you thought that the praying mantis is a harmless and very calm insect with a passive demeanor, then get ready to learn something new about them. Researchers have found that these aggressive carnivorous insects kill and eat not only small reptiles such as frogs and lizards, but also small birds. Study international group zoologists have documented this behavior of praying mantis around the world.

It is noteworthy that, in general, this behavior of praying mantises was not special. A YouTube search easily turns up a selection of videos showing a mantis eating a hummingbird. A new study by a group of zoologists systematically documented 147 examples of mantis attacks, representing 12 different types, on small birds. Scientists tracked behavior in 13 countries, finding that praying mantises prey on 24 bird species.

Interestingly, more than 70 percent of the documented cases have been in the United States, and most of the victims are hummingbirds. Praying mantises have been used in gardens for decades as biological pest control agents, and to this day, many Americans still use both imported and native species for pest control. But a new study shows that insects pose a threat to small animals as well. passerine birds. In addition, such non-selectivity of praying mantises makes them not the best remedy insect control.

pets-mf.ru

For full development praying mantises need a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius, so in the room where they keep the terrarium with praying mantises, you need to use special lamps for heating. Praying mantises are diurnal, so you can not keep them in a dark room. You can use artificial lighting - fluorescent lamps during the day and moonlight lamps for the convenience of observing animals at night.

In winter, as you know, you can’t catch insects on the street, but this problem can also be solved. In the pet store you can buy maggots - they are sold in plastic containers in which dry sawdust is poured; At home, such a container can be stored in the refrigerator. If this container is kept at room temperature, the maggot pupates quickly and you will have fresh flies in a week. The second option is zofobuses: in a box with cereals, they not only live well, but also continue to multiply. Good for winter food different kinds cockroaches. In extreme cases, you can feed the praying mantis in small portions of meat. But in large quantities, meat should not be given - the insect can get sick and die.

AT natural conditions the praying mantis grabs any insect that passes by it. Young growth needs more food for full development; adults can go without food for five days.

At home, the praying mantis should be fed so that the belly of the animal is always full.

But don't quit forage insects in large quantities - this can lead to stress on the praying mantis. In addition, some insects have rather developed jaws with which they can bite the praying mantis during molting.

Food for a pet is any insect that is suitable for it in size. Young animals need to be fed with small insects - such as aphids, fruit flies, fruit flies. Adults are very voracious, they eat almost any insect in large numbers and can even eat a small lizard or mouse.

Adults are fed once a week: you need to make sure that the praying mantis does not overeat, otherwise the abdomen cannot be ruptured. Be sure to have water in the terrarium. You can use a special insect drinker so that the animals do not accidentally drown, or a plastic lid for the jar.

www.8lap.ru

Butterfly - description. The structure and appearance of butterflies.

In the structure of a butterfly, two main sections are distinguished - a body protected by a hard chitinous shell and wings.

A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:

• Head, inactively connected to the chest. The head of a butterfly has a rounded shape with a slightly flattened occiput. Round or oval convex eyes of a butterfly in the form of hemispheres, occupying most lateral surface of the head, have a complex faceted structure. Butterflies have color vision, and moving objects perceive better than stationary ones. Many species have additional simple parietal eyes behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of a sucking or gnawing type.

• The breast of a butterfly with a three-segment structure. The front part is much smaller than the middle and back, where there are three pairs of legs, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the shins of the front legs of the butterfly there are spurs designed to maintain the hygiene of the antennae.
• The abdomen of a butterfly, having the shape of an elongated cylinder, consisting of ten ring-shaped segments with spiracles located on them.

The antennae of a butterfly are located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies to navigate in the environment, perceiving air vibrations and various smells. The length and structure of the antennae depend on the species.

Two pairs of butterfly wings, covered with flat scales of various shapes, have a membranous structure and are pierced by transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same as the front wings or much smaller than them. The pattern of butterfly wings varies from species to species and captivates with its beauty. In macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shapes and colors.

The appearance and color of the butterfly's wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as a protective camouflage that allows you to blend in with the environment. Therefore, colors can be both monochrome and variegated with a complex pattern. The size of a butterfly, or better to say the wingspan of a butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm.