Orchid Praying Mantis photo, habitat, food. Pink praying mantis. Orchid Praying Mantis photo, habitat, food Pink Praying Mantis

There are many insects in the world. Probably no one knows about all of them, even those who deal with them professionally.
And among them there are those who can easily defend the title of the most beautiful.
Oh, yes, everyone knows about butterflies, but I personally consider it pointless to compare their beauty - almost all of them are beautiful and divine, with a few exceptions.

But spiders, bugs and other things that we know quite a bit about. For example, mantises. What do we know about them? Very little, and very little, about how beautiful they are.

We know that they love to fold their front paws as if they are praying to God and also - that they are great at pretending to be all sorts of sticks and leaves. Moreover, in this art of mimicry, they reached the highest, almost unattainable heights.

Do you know that there are praying mantises in the world that can pretend to be flowers? And not simple flowers, but orchids, jasmine, papaya and other flowering trees - of different colors and shades.

Orchid praying mantises differ from their more famous counterparts primarily in color.

They are white, pink, lilac - different shades, sometimes they have several different colors and combinations in color. It depends, of course, on the flowers of the trees on which they live.

The habitat of these gentle-looking beauties in Malaysia and Thailand, in the warm and very humid rain forests of South Asia.

Of course, the coloring was given to praying mantises not at all for beauty, but for the convenience of hunting and protection from enemies.

Their wide paws imitate flower petals, and their heads imitate their core.

They jump dexterously, but move slowly and in fits and starts, like alien tripods from old science fiction films.

This type of praying mantis has large gender differences - females, reaching 8 cm in length, are almost twice the size of males.

Praying mantises eat pollinating insects, which is why they occupied this particular niche of mimicry - they pretend that they crave pollination and grab everyone who flies to this flower call: bees, butterflies, dragonflies, flies.

But these insects do not close the circle of their appetite! Praying mantises are so strong, and their jaws are so powerful, that they can attack even lizards with great success, including those that are much larger than their size.

Also, orchid praying mantises may well have a snack with small pieces of bananas or other sweet fruits rich in potassium.

In rare cases, the female praying mantis may well dine with the male, but this happens in the most extreme cases, when the female is very hungry. But wise nature also took this into account - more males are born than females and their maturation period is shorter than that of females.

Orchid mantises are kept at home. This is not very difficult, you just need to know the diet of their diet, methods of keeping and remember the main thing about this type of praying mantis - during periods of molting, they need very high humidity.

They have such a paw structure that it is extremely difficult for them to get rid of the old “skin” if it does not get wet from moisture.

If the praying mantis is kept for a long time surrounded by the flowers of a certain plant, then with each successive molt it will acquire a color more and more similar to the color of these particular flowers.

Praying mantises are bold insects and fight to protect their lives - they can bite or pinch painfully.

There are many insects in the world. Probably no one knows about everyone, even a professional entomologist. But among them there are those who can easily defend the title of the most beautiful. Beautiful insects? Of course, colorful butterflies immediately come to mind. But there are other beauties in the world of insects. For example, mantises. What do we know about them? Very little, and very little, about how beautiful they are.

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1. We know that they love to fold their front paws as if they are praying to God, and also that they are great at pretending to be all sorts of sticks and leaves.

2. Moreover, in this art of mimicry, they reached the highest, almost unattainable heights.

4. Do you know that there are praying mantises in the world that can pretend to be flowers? And not simple, but flowers of orchids, jasmine, papaya and other flowering trees - of different colors and shades.

5. Orchid praying mantises differ from their more famous counterparts primarily in color.

6. They are white, pink, lilac - different shades, sometimes they have several different colors and combinations in color. It depends, of course, on the flowers of those trees on which these insects live.

7. And these gentle-looking beauties live in Malaysia and Thailand, in the warm and very humid rain forests of South Asia.

8. Of course, the coloring was given to praying mantises not at all for beauty, but for the convenience of hunting and protection from enemies.

9. Their wide paws imitate flower petals, and their heads imitate their core.

10. They deftly jump, but move slowly and fitfully, like alien tripods from old science fiction films.

11. This type of praying mantis has large gender differences - females, reaching 8 cm in length, are almost twice the size of males.

12. Praying mantises eat pollinating insects, which is why they occupied this particular niche of mimicry - they pretend that they crave pollination and grab everyone who flies to this color call: bees, butterflies, dragonflies, flies.

13. But these insects do not close the circle of their appetite! Praying mantises are so strong, and their jaws are so powerful, that they can attack lizards with great success, even including those that are much larger than their size.

14. Also, orchid mantises may well have a bite to eat and small pieces of bananas or other sweet fruits rich in potassium.

15. In rare cases, the female praying mantis may well dine with the male, but this happens in the most extreme cases, when the female is very hungry. But wise nature also took this into account - more males are born than females and their maturation period is shorter than that of females.

16. Orchid mantises are kept at home. This is not very difficult, you just need to know the main thing about this type of praying mantis - during periods of molting, they need very high humidity.

17. They have such a paw structure that it is extremely difficult for them to get rid of the old “skin” if it does not get wet from moisture.

18. If a praying mantis is kept for a long time surrounded by flowers of the same color, then with each next molt they will acquire a color more and more similar to the color of these particular flowers.

19. Praying mantises are brave insects and enter the fight, protecting their lives - they can bite or pinch painfully.

20. In the wild, they have many enemies. These are large lizards, geckos, bats, rodents such as shrews, toads, birds and even large spiders.

A huge number of cases of mimicry are known in nature: some disguise themselves for protection, the second - in order to sneak up on their prey. So, an insect that resembles a leaf in appearance can be either a butterfly that is hiding or a praying mantis that is waiting for its prey. But there is an insect that strikes with its appearance and leaves few people indifferent - this is the orchid mantis. And as the name implies, it is very reminiscent of one of the most beautiful flowers - an orchid.

Description of appearance and lifestyle

Orchid praying mantis (lat. Hymenopus coronatus) is an insect that can be found in Indonesia and Malaysia. In order for them to feel good, they need high humidity in the range of 80-90%. So the climate of these countries suits them perfectly.

Unlike its counterparts, the orchid mantis is a unique predator. After all, he, sitting in ambush, does not need flowers, he himself mimics into a flower and waits for the victim to fly to him to pollinate such beauty. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish, the flower and the orchid praying mantis are so similar, the photo confirms this.

What does an orchid mantis look like? Its description is as follows: the main color is white, which can be combined with various shades, ranging from pink to bright purple. Moreover, the shade depends on the color of the orchid flowers surrounding the praying mantis. And it only becomes similar in color and shape, becoming invisible to insects flying around - bees, butterflies, moths and dragonflies, flies and bees. Zoologists indicate about 13 species of orchids that an insect can imitate.

The female is much larger than the male. The sizes are respectively 7-8 cm and 3-4. Significant difference.

By its nature, this is a very aggressive insect, and is ready to eat everything that moves next to it. And he is not afraid of opponents who are more than twice the size of the praying mantis.

Reproduction features

Within seven days, the female praying mantis is ready to mate. The male takes off, mounts the female, and they copulate. Unlike the usual orchid, it does not eat its partner, since the male is too agile and small in size for her.

After fertilization, the female can lay from 3 to 5 special bags, of which 40-70 larvae from each will subsequently appear. Nymphs (that is what the larvae are called) are painted red or black and look like poisonous insects living in those places, so predators are not afraid of them.

Development after fertilization

The female, after contact with the male, needs from several days to several weeks of time in order to lay egg sacs. They are painted white and are 3-5 cm long. Eggs require high humidity and a temperature of 30 ° C for maturation.

Newborns are colored black or red, after the first molt it turns white and then pink (during the next molt).

The orchid mantis is not easy to keep in captivity, caring for it is difficult and only a person who already has experience in keeping insects in a terrarium can do it. But the game is worth the candle.

In a terrarium containing an orchid mantis, the humidity must be constantly at the level of 90%, otherwise the insects will quickly die. Temperature regime: during the day - 25-30 °C, at night - 20 °C. The terrarium is necessarily decorated with an orchid, real or artificial, although another large flower will do.

If you plan not only to keep these beauties, but also to breed them, then males should be kept separately from females at a lower temperature and they should be fed less. This is due to their faster puberty. Males simply may not live to see the females ready to mate.

Before pairing a couple in a terrarium, feed the female well (you never know, suddenly the bride wakes up with an appetite and she just eats the groom) and just don’t disturb them. During the mating season, continue to feed the praying mantises. If mating does not occur, then the time has not come, just plant the female for a few days and try again. Of course, you can try to help the male by placing him on the back of the female, but this is not an easy task due to the small size of the males and their elusiveness.

After fertilization, continue to maintain humidity and temperature, and after a while you will enjoy the appearance of healthy offspring. After all, orchid mantises, unfortunately, do not live long.

Orchid praying mantis (lat. Hymenopus coronatus) outwardly resembles a blossoming orchid flower. This similarity gives it an unusual color and the ability to change it from white to pink. The insect belongs to the Hymenopodidae family from the Bogomolov order (lat. Mantodea).

It was first described in 1792 by the French entomologist Guillaume Antoine Olivier.

Spreading

The species is distributed in northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, the eastern regions of China and the northern islands of Indonesia. Settles in humid tropical and subtropical forests, where there is an abundance of flowering vegetation.

Orchid praying mantis loves to be among orchid and papaya flowers, becoming almost invisible against their background.

Both sexes are excellent fliers and periodically migrate in search of the best conditions for hunting.

Nutrition

The diet consists of various types of flying insects, mainly flies, midges and cockroaches, feeding on flower nectar. The praying mantis is in a motionless state for hours, waiting for a victim flying over a fragrant flower.

He grabs her in one swift motion, squeezing her tightly with his powerful front paws. First, the predator eats the head, and then the rest of the body.

Sometimes even small lizards become prey, if the jaws allow them to cope with such a trophy.

Praying mantises do not drink water, being content with moisture from everyday food. The lack of trace elements in the body is replenished by episodic eating of bananas.

Natural enemies are large lizards, geckos, birds, rodents, frogs and bats. Of particular danger are jumping spiders, which are difficult to mislead with their camouflage outfit.

reproduction

Males become sexually mature after the fifth, and females after the seventh molt. They begin to breed after 2-3 weeks from the moment of transformation into adults. Reproduction occurs all year round without being tied to any particular season. G

Males ready to procreate fly in the upper tiers of the forest in the morning and evening, looking for partners by the pheromones they secrete. Approaching a beauty that is not ready for breeding is life-threatening. She will simply eat the unlucky gentleman.

After mating, the female lays several ootheca (egg sachets) for one month. They contain 30 to 120 eggs and are attached to the underside of flowers or leaves. The length of the ootheca reaches 60 mm. They are oval in shape and whitish in color.

Nymphs hatch in 4-5 weeks depending on environmental conditions. They have a red color, and the body length does not exceed 8 mm. The head and limbs are black, which makes them look like ants and protect them from predators.

Immediately after their birth, they scatter in different directions and hide in secluded places in the branches of trees. Already after the first molt, the larvae become similar to adults, and the characteristic color appears after the second, becoming more intense each time.

Males go through the entire metamorphosis cycle in 5 months, and females in 10-11.

Such a difference in time allows avoiding closely related crosses and giving healthier and more complete offspring.

Description

The body length of males is 3-4 cm, females 7-8 cm. The color is white with the addition of pink, red, purple and very rarely brown shades.

Paws are wide and similar to orchid petals. The head is relatively small. Antennae are thin. The thorax is short and wide. The wings of males are transparent, while those of females are yellowish.

Breeding orchid mantises in captivity requires certain skills and is not suitable for beginners. It is very difficult to achieve a balanced and familiar diet for them.

The food should be varied. It is desirable to include the maximum number of living creatures in the diet: flies, fruit flies, flour worms, butterflies, bees, crickets, grasshoppers, etc. All of them must be alive and fly freely.

For females, an insectarium measuring 20 x 20 x 30 cm is required. Males can be content with 2 times smaller premises. If there are several of them, then the volume is increased by the corresponding amount. It is advisable to use high insectariums.

Of particular importance is maintaining optimal humidity and temperature.

During the day, humidity should be in the range of 50-70% at 30-35°C, and at night rise to 90% at 25°C. Temperatures below 20°C can be fatal. Lighting is diffused.

Green plants are planted in the insectarium and twigs are inserted, simulating the conditions of the tropics.

The development of larvae proceeds at a temperature of 20-25°C. They are fed fruit flies, and as they grow, they are introduced to the menu and other living creatures. After the second molt, the air must be warmed up to 30 ° C. If the larvae are kept together with the mother, then after the third molt they must be planted, otherwise it is highly likely that they will be eaten by their aggressive and gluttonous mother

There are people who consider orchids the most beautiful of all the flowers growing on earth. And there are those who are delighted with the orchid praying mantis, and consider it the most beautiful insect living on our planet. Why did he deserve such fame?

These rare insects live in hot countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Their place of residence is all fairly large flowers: orchid, papaya and so on.

The size of females reaches 7-8 centimeters, while the size of males does not exceed 3-4. Orchid praying mantises have wide paws, resembling orchid petals from afar, it is thanks to them that he can easily disguise himself in a flower, and also start hunting other insects attracted by the pleasant smell of orchids.

The coloration of this species is subject to change. In general, the main color of the praying mantis is white, many of these insects remain white throughout their lives. But some are able to change colors, thus adapting to the color of the orchids that are their "apartments". Moreover, for the most part, young praying mantises have this ability.

These small insects are very mobile, they can jump far and high, but, despite this, they prefer to move in small runs from place to place.

In the menu of these beauties you can find pollinating insects: butterflies, flies, bees, various dragonflies. In this regard, praying mantises are not very picky - they will eat everyone who falls under their hot paw. Sometimes a praying mantis can also attack lizards that are much larger than himself.

Since the males of this species of praying mantis mature very quickly (due to their not very large size), the reproduction of these insects has some features. When the female praying mantis matures and can begin to breed, many of their opposite-sex partners may have long since died, thus reducing the population.

It is for this reason that many praying mantis lovers first buy females, and then acquire males in order to approximately correlate the time of their puberty, and quickly achieve offspring.

Unlike others, the female will not eat her male after mating (only in case of extreme hunger, but this rarely happens).

After the fertilization process, females begin to lay small eggs in ootheca (there can be up to five in total) - light-colored handbags. This goes on for about a week. After that, the eggs will mature for up to six weeks, and then brightly colored larvae will appear from them, usually painted in bright red tones, which are designed to scare away possible wishing to feast on small praying mantises. But after molting, the praying mantis begins to turn white.