Praying mantis from where the name comes from. Common praying mantis: habitat, color, photo. In honor of the praying mantis named one of the fighting styles
The praying mantis is an interesting insect. Do you know about it?
The praying mantis has 5 eyes
Yes, five eyes! You think two is enough, don't you? Not for praying people! They have large compound eyes - the ones you can easily spot. And three small simple eyes located in the middle of the head. They are used to detect light, while big eyes see movement and volume. Many other species of insects have similar vision.
Five eyes: two large and three simple eyes (ocelli) in the middle of the head
Some praying mantises have one ear on their abdomen.
Five eyes but one ear? Yes, they are crazy! Not every species has developed hearing, only a few. The auditory organ is located in the middle of the abdomen, between the last pair of legs. Their ear is different from ours because it can only hear high-pitched sounds. Other sounds can only be felt as vibrations, not as real hearing. Why does the praying mantis want to hear only high pitched sounds? To avoid bats! When the praying mantis flies, it can easily become their victim. At night, bats feed on any flying insects, finding them with the help of echolocation. They emit a high-pitched squeak of a certain tonality and listen to the sound reflected from a flying insect and returned back. When a flying praying mantis hears a high-pitched squeak, it means that there is bat. In order not to be eaten, he makes an unexpected movement and falls to the ground, hoping that the bat is not ready for such a turn and will miss the prey. Species that have lost wings and therefore move only by walking have also lost the ability to hear.
There is a praying mantis that looks like an orchid
When I found out about this, I was amazed. This is not just a white and pink praying mantis, which is striking in itself, it really looks like a flower. Including petals, a small green border and some veined lines on the back. This species is called orchid mantis(in Latin Hymenopus coronatus). You have to believe to see... More photos can be found on the view page.
Orchid praying mantis "pretending" to be an orchid
Praying mantis does not back down in the face of danger
The praying mantis is not that big. Even large species are not so large, no more than 11 cm in length. Of course, they do not match the strength of an ordinary dog or cat. Do you think the praying mantis cares? Not at all. Sometimes the best defense is an attack. Instead of running away from the threat, he will stay put and try to look bigger. He will raise his wings, spread his front legs and try to stretch as high as possible. It may even wiggle left and right to appear more intimidating. It works? Actually, yes! Animals not particularly interested in eating the praying mantis, or yet inexperienced, are a little suspicious of prey that does not run away. It can be poisonous, inedible or dangerous. Better to be careful and not get too close. In addition, in some species of praying mantis, in the process of evolution, a bright coloring the inside of the front paws or lower wings. At rest, it is not visible, but when attacked, it flickers, frightening the aggressor.
Female Stagmomantis limbata scares the camera
Following short video shows a praying mantis attempting to intimidate an attacker with characteristic "dance" movements.
One female praying mantis can have up to 1000 babies.
Did you know that one mantis can give birth to more than a thousand children? After mating, she will lay egg capsules called ootheca, each of which can contain over 200 eggs. And she can lay down about 6 pieces! Not every species is so productive, some have much more fewer eggs. To "bear" so many children, she does not need to mate again every time - once is enough.
Praying mantises will attack prey that is much larger than them.
Most praying mantises are not shy and go for big kills. If they detect prey, they will attack it. They will not be stopped by such a trifle that the prey turned out to be much larger than a predator. Amazing courage, if you remember that the praying mantis has no poison. He simply holds the prey with only power and begins to eat it. It is much easier for spiders to do this, as they quickly paralyze their prey with venom. There are reports of wild praying mantises taking hummingbirds, mice, small lizards, huge spiders and other equally sized mantises. This is how they only work large species, such as Asian, Chinese, African or short-winged mantises. Smaller species rely more on camouflage and use more careful hunting methods. You won't see a violin mantis or a ghost attacking large prey.
This video shows a large female hunting a spider and then nearly falling prey to another female of the same species.
common praying mantis- an insect belonging to the family of true praying mantises. This is the most common representative of the species in Europe.
Description
It's pretty large insect. The common praying mantis, whose dimensions range from 42 to 52 mm (males) and from 48 to 75 mm (females), is a predator. It has forelimbs adapted for holding food. The praying mantis is part of the cockroach order, forming numerous species, consisting of three thousand subspecies.
The name was given to him by Carl Linnaeus, the great systematist, who noticed that the pose of the praying mantis, when he sits in ambush, is very reminiscent of a man who folded his hand in prayer. So the scientist named it Mantis religiosa, which translates as "religious priest".
Coloring
You probably know the common praying mantis from school biology textbooks. Its coloration type is very variable, ranging from yellow or green to dark brown or brown-gray. Usually it corresponds to the habitat, matches the color of grass, stones and leaves.
The most common color is green or white-yellow. In older individuals, the outfit is paler. Dark brown spots appear on the body with age. This is due to the fact that the production of amino acids important for life stops in the body: methionine, leucine, tryptophan, etc. In laboratory conditions, when these substances are added to the feed, the life of the insect almost doubles - up to four months. This is the maximum period that an ordinary praying mantis can live.
Biological features
These insects have well-developed wings, they fly well, but males move like this, and only at night, and during the day they occasionally allow themselves to flit from branch to branch. The praying mantis has four wings. Two of them are dense and narrow, and the other two are thin and wide. They are able to open like a fan.
praying mantis head triangular shape, very mobile, connected to the chest. It can rotate 180 degrees. This insect has well-developed front paws, which have powerful and sharp spikes. With their help, it grabs its prey and then eats it.
The photo of the common praying mantis, which you can see below, clearly demonstrates that this insect has well-developed eyes. It has excellent vision. The predator, being in an ambush, monitors the environment and instantly reacts to moving objects. He approaches the prey and grabs it strong paws. After that, the victim has no chance of survival.
Unlike males that feed on rather small insects, heavy large females prefer their counterparts of the same, and sometimes even more large size than they are. interesting story related to told E. Teal. He observed a funny situation on the street of one of the cities of America. car traffic was stopped. The drivers watched with interest the duel between the sparrow and the praying mantis. Surprisingly, the insect won the fight, and the sparrow had to retire from the battlefield in disgrace.
Photo of common praying mantis, habitat
The praying mantis is quite widespread in the south of Europe - from Portugal to Ukraine and Turkey. He did not bypass the islands mediterranean sea(Corsica, Balearic, Sicily, Sardinia, Aegean islands, Malta, Cyprus). Often found in Sudan and Egypt, in the Middle East from Iran to Israel, on the Arabian Peninsula.
The habitat of the common praying mantis also covers the southern regions of our country. Presumably introduced to the eastern United States, in New Guinea, in the 1890s. From these territories, he settled almost all of America and southern Canada. At the very beginning of this century, the praying mantis was discovered in Costa Rica. There are not officially confirmed data that the common praying mantis was found in Jamaica, Australia and Bolivia.
In Europe, the northern border of the range passes through such countries and areas as Belgium and France, Tyrol and southern Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, southern Poland and Slovakia, the forest-steppe regions of Ukraine and southern Russia.
Scientists note that at the end of the 20th century, the range began to expand to the north. The number of these insects has significantly increased in the north of Germany, and the common praying mantis has appeared in Latvia and Belarus.
Reproduction features
It must be said that it is not easy for a male praying mantis to start a romantic relationship: a female, larger and stronger, can easily eat an unlucky groom, especially during a period when she is not ready to mate or is too hungry. Therefore, the common praying mantis (male) takes all precautions.
mating season
Having noticed the beautiful half, the male begins to creep up to her much more carefully than to the most dangerous and sensitive prey. His movements are not detected by the human eye. There is a feeling that the insect does not move at all, but gradually it approaches the female, while trying to come from behind. If the female at this moment turns in his direction, the male freezes in place for a long time, while swaying a little. Biologists believe that these movements are a signal that switches the behavior of the female from hunting to loving.
This rather peculiar courtship can last up to six hours. It’s better for a gentleman to be a little late for this date than to rush for a minute. The common praying mantis breeds at the very end of summer. On the territory of Russia, they mate from mid-August to early September. The influence of sex hormones provokes an increase in aggressiveness in the behavior of the insect. During this time, cases of cannibalism are not uncommon. main feature common praying mantis - devouring by the female of the male after, and sometimes during mating.
There is a version that the male praying mantis cannot copulate if he has a head, so the sexual intercourse in insects begins with an unpleasant procedure for the male - the female tears off his head. However, more often mating occurs without victims, but after its completion, the female eats the male, and even then only in half of the cases.
As it turned out, she eats her partner not because of her special bloodthirstiness or harmfulness, but because of the great need for protein in the first stage of egg development.
Offspring
The common praying mantis, whose photo you can see in this article, lays eggs in ootheca. This is special form laying, characteristic of molluscs and cockroaches. It is a horizontal row of eggs, which can be two or more.
The female fills them with a foamy protein substance, which, when solidified, forms a capsule. As a rule, up to 300 eggs are laid. The capsule has a rather hard structure that easily sticks to plants or rocks, protecting the egg from external influences.
Optimum humidity and temperature are maintained inside the capsule. In the ooteca, eggs cannot die even at temperatures down to -18 °C. AT temperate latitudes eggs hibernate, and in the southern regions incubation period is a month.
Larvae
Thirty days later, larvae emerge from the eggs. On their surface are small spikes that help them get out of the capsule. After that, the larvae molt. Later, they shed their skin and become like adults, but without wings. The common praying mantis larva is very mobile, it has a protective color.
In most distribution areas, these hatch in late April - early May. In two and a half months, they molt five times. Only after that they become adult insects. The process of puberty is two weeks, then the males begin to look for their other half for mating. Praying mantises live in vivo- two months. The males die first. After mating, they no longer look for prey, become very lethargic and quickly die. They live only until September, and females survive them for a month. Their age ends in October.
Lifestyle and diet
The basis of the praying mantis diet is insects. The largest individuals (mainly females) often attack lizards, frogs and even birds. The common praying mantis eats its prey slowly. This process can last about three hours, and during the week the food is digested.
Praying mantis can hardly be called a lover of hiking. Only by the end of summer do males radically change their way of life: they begin to wander around. Faced with his brother, the insect enters into a fight, and the loser has a chance not only to die, but also to become dinner for the victorious opponent. Of course, in these journeys, male praying mantises are not looking for tournament glory at all, they need the love of a beautiful female.
The habitat of the common praying mantis is a tree or shrub, but sometimes they can freeze on the grass or on the ground. Insects move from tier to tier, so they can be found both at the top of the crown and at the foot tall tree. And one more interesting feature: Mantis only reacts to moving targets. Objects that are motionless are not interesting to him.
This predator is very voracious. An adult insect eats up to seven centimeter-sized cockroaches at a time. It takes about thirty minutes to eat the victim. First, he eats soft tissues, and only after that he proceeds to hard ones. The praying mantis leaves limbs and wings from the cockroach. Softer insects are eaten whole. Usually the praying mantis prefers When he has enough food, he lives on the same tree throughout his life.
mantis insect many scientists and researchers in the recent past attributed to the same family due to a number of similar elements in the structure of the wings and body.
However, to date, official science has refuted this conjecture and these insects are classified as separate species, which has its own specific features and habits.
The detachment was named so - "praying mantis", and at the moment about two and a half thousand varieties belong to it.
About praying mantis it can be unequivocally said that a rare other insect is able to compete with it in terms of the number of references in the mythologies of various peoples of the world.
For example, among the ancient Chinese, the praying mantis was associated with stubbornness and greed, among the Greeks it was believed that he had the ability to predict the weather and was the herald of spring.
The Bushmen were sure that the image of the praying mantis is directly related to cunning and resourcefulness, and the Turks - that he always points with his limbs directly in the direction of sacred Mecca.
Asians often gave their offspring fried eggs an insect to get rid of such an unpleasant ailment as enuresis, and the Europeans noticed the similarity of the praying mantis with the monks reciting prayers and awarded him the name Mantis religiosa.
The praying mantis is a large insect, its size can exceed 10-12 cm
Features and habitat
By description of the praying mantis insect you can see that it is quite large, and the length of its body can reach ten centimeters or more.
The typical color characteristic of these insects is white-yellow or green. However, it varies greatly depending on habitat and time of year.
Due to the natural ability to mimicry, the colors of the insect can exactly repeat the color of stones, branches, trees and grass, so if the praying mantis is stationary, it is very difficult to recognize it with the naked eye among the stormy landscape.
The triangular head is highly mobile (rotates 180 degrees) and connects directly to the chest. Usually on the paws you can see a small dark spot.
The insect has incredibly developed forepaws, which have rather powerful sharp spikes, with the help of which it, in fact, can grab its prey for further eating.
The praying mantis has four wings, two of which are dense and narrow, and the other two are thin and wide and can open like a fan.
In the photo, the praying mantis spread its wings
The habitat of the praying mantis is a vast territory, which includes countries Southern Europe, front and Central Asia, Australia, Belarus, Tatarstan, as well as numerous steppe regions.
In the USA, this insect got on ships and merchant ships, where it inhabited the decks like cockroaches and.
Insofar as a sign of a praying mantis is an increased thermophilicity, it can easily be found in the zone of the tropics and subtropics, where it inhabits not only moist forests but also rocky areas such as deserts.
The nature and lifestyle of the praying mantis
The praying mantis prefers to lead a lifestyle that is far from nomadic, that is, settling in the same area for a long time.
In the event that there is enough food around, he can literally not leave the limits of one single plant or tree branch throughout his life.
Despite the fact that these insects can fly quite tolerably and have two pairs of wings, they use them infrequently, preferring to move with their long limbs.
Mostly males fly and only at night, making flights from branch to branch or from bush to bush.
They can also move from tier to tier, and you can meet them both at the foot of a tall tree and at the top of its crown.
Most The praying mantis spends time in one position (highly raising his front paws), for which, in fact, he got his name.
Praying mantis in the pose for which he got his name
Indeed, looking at it from the outside, it may seem that the insect is praying, but in fact it is busy guarding its future prey.
Despite the fact that the praying mantis has well-developed limbs and wings, it quite often becomes the prey of various birds, since it is extremely bad for him to run away from the aggressor.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the insect tries to move as little as possible during daylight hours, preferring to blend in with the surrounding vegetation.
Although cockroaches are mantis-like insects, you can see that their habits are very different, especially since the praying mantis rarely strays into large flocks.
Praying mantis food
Mantis is a predatory insect, therefore, he feeds, respectively, on insects, such as bugs, cockroaches and. Occasionally, even small lizards, frogs, birds and some small rodents become its prey.
The appetite of these insects is very good, and literally in a matter of months one individual is able to eat several thousand insects of various sizes from grasshopper to aphids. In some cases, a praying mantis can even encroach on animals with a spine.
Cannibalism, that is, eating relatives, is also characteristic of praying mantises. For example, it often happens that female praying mantis eats male immediately after the mating process, but sometimes she can eat him without waiting for the end of love pleasures.
To prevent this from happening male praying mantis forced to perform a kind of “dance”, thanks to which the female is able to distinguish him from prey and thereby leave him alive.
On the picture mating dance praying mantis
The praying mantis can sit motionless for a long time, merging with the surrounding vegetation, waiting for its prey.
When an unsuspecting or animal approaches the praying mantis, he makes a sharp throw and grabs the victim with the help of forelimbs with dangerous spikes.
With the same paws, the praying mantis brings the prey directly to the mouth and begins to absorb it. It should be noted that the jaws of these insects are surprisingly well developed, so that it can easily “grind” not very large rodent or a medium sized frog.
If the potential prey is quite large, the praying mantis prefers to approach it from the back, and approaching it at a close distance makes a sharp lunge to capture it.
In general, the main diet of this insect is small insects, for lizards and mice, it can start hunting, being extremely hungry. In this case, from a hunter, he can easily turn into a victim.
Reproduction and lifespan
Praying mantis mating in conditions wildlife usually occurs from late summer to early autumn.
Males, using their own sense of smell, begin to intensively move around the habitat in search of females.
Contrary to established stereotypes, the female does not always eat the male after the mating process. This only applies to certain varieties.
Those representatives of praying mantises who live in more northern latitudes, it is necessary to cool the air temperature in order for the eggs to begin to hatch. For one laying, the female can bring about two hundred eggs.
Praying mantises are often planted at home by insect lovers. If you want to buy yourself a similar copy, you can easily find mantis photo with prices online. The life expectancy of this insect is about six months.
The summer of 2016 will be remembered by Muscovites not only for heavy rains, but also for the fact that on the streets big city praying mantises suddenly appeared. Green insects, which were previously not found in the capital, can now be seen everywhere.
“This is due to warming, an increase in air temperature. Remember what the weather was like recently. But the heat is more than suitable for them. And in principle, they also appear in other places where they were not there before - more and more praying mantises can be found in the north. The area is shifting, and this is the result of gradual climate change, ”said AiF.ru candidate of biological sciences, associate professor, entomologist Yuri Gninenko.
1. The praying mantis was so named because of the structure of the legs.
Praying mantis got its name thanks to the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. When this learned man saw the insect, it seemed to him that it was communicating with the Lord. The fact is that the insect folded its forelimbs like the believers fasten their hands in prayer. And the insect shakes its head, as if muttering something. Therefore, Linnaeus decided to call his "discovery" Mantis religiosa, that is, "religious prophet." In the Russian tradition, the insect began to be called the praying mantis.
Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Premysl Malek
2. The female praying mantis bites off the male's head.
The female praying mantises are much larger than the males. In 50% of cases, they eat males after mating. At the same time, sometimes the female bites off the head of her gentleman right during intercourse, which, however, does not prevent him from successfully completing sexual intercourse. This behavior of young ladies is due to the fact that at an early stage of egg development they need a lot of protein. And the male is just the closest and most reliable source of it.
3. Praying mantis eggs are not afraid of either frost or pesticides.
Praying mantises lay their eggs in special protective capsules called ootheca. They are a complex protein material that will allow insect offspring to survive not only under extremely low temperatures but also under the influence of pesticides. In some cultures around the world, praying mantis eggs are used as natural remedies to increase male potency.
4. Mantises are predators.
Praying mantises feed exclusively on living food - they need it to spin and resist. They mainly prey on insect pests. So praying mantises help us save the harvest. However, a really hungry insect is not very picky and can also attack frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, etc.
5. Praying mantises are excellent camouflage.
Praying mantises are masters of disguise. Depending on the environment, they can be both green and brown. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to see praying mantises among the foliage or on the bark of a tree. With each molt, these insects acquire a color that will best match nature. It is extremely difficult for the victim to see praying mantises in time, as they may not move for hours, but they are the only ones among insects that have the ability to rotate their heads in different directions and even look over their shoulders.
6. Mantises are not dangerous to humans.
Praying mantises are often kept as pets and are not dangerous to humans. However, it is not recommended to specifically tease and annoy the insect - after all, it is a predator. If he decides that you are a danger to him, then he may well bite. The bite, of course, will be non-lethal, but very painful.
7. In honor of the praying mantis, one of the fighting styles was named.
In Chinese wushu, the most popular style is the praying mantis style. Once a legendary martial arts teacher Wang Lang created this very simple and efficient technique, based on his observations of how a praying mantis attacks a cicada. The latter, although outnumbered by the attacker in size, nevertheless turned out to be completely helpless in front of his quick and accurate movements.
Why is the praying mantis so called?
The praying mantis family includes about 800 varieties. They have long and narrow bodies, six legs each, brown or green wings up to 5 cm long. But why is this insect called somewhat unusual - a praying mantis?
The praying mantis got its name because of the structure of the body, habits and, of course, the associative connections of people. Very often it can be seen in a motionless pose, with the front, largest legs raised up. He stands like that for hours, folding them, as if praying. The structure of the forelimbs of the praying mantis vaguely resembles human hands, bent at the elbows. Rubbing them and shaking their head at the same time, the praying mantis resembles a praying person. Hence the name "praying mantis", that is, he prays to God. Even the great Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus gave this insect a name associated with religion - Mantis religiosa, that is, "religious soothsayer (prophet)".
Despite such a benevolent name, praying mantises are considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty insects. The praying mantis folds its legs in this way, not for prayer, but for hunting. As soon as some insect appears nearby, the praying mantis throws its folded legs forward with lightning speed and grabs the victim. To keep her praying mantis help located on inside front legs are sharp notches.
Praying mantises jump on four hind legs and can fly from place to place. Moreover, they are the only insects that can turn their heads to the sides and back and even look over their shoulders. So it is difficult for the victim to dodge them, they will notice her anyway. Praying mantises catch prey and, holding it with their paws, slowly savor it.
This insect has long been of interest to scientists and the fear of all people who have heard of it. Praying mantises are popularly called "soothsayers" and "mule killers". The first name obviously comes from the suggestive “praying” posture, and the second comes from the belief that the praying mantis saliva can poison the mule.