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Order Mantodea - Mantids
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Mantodea (Mantids)
Other Common Names Mantis, Praying Mantis, Praying Locust Pronunciation man-TOE-dee-ah Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Mantoptera
major changes in higher classification recetly proposed in (1)Explanation of Names Mantodea Burmeister 1838 Numbers ~28 spp. in 16 genera of 6 families in our area (BG data), ~2300 spp. worldwide, arranged in 14 families (2)(3) -- 29 families per (1)Size from 1 cm ( Mantoida tenuis) to >17 cm ( Ischnomantis gigas) (4)(2)Identification Relatively large, elongate insects; forelegs raptorial; head typically triangular, with large eyes, three ocelli (6), and very flexible articulation to prothorax allowing a mantid to "look over its shoulder" (7)
key to FL spp. (8) covers virtually all eastern mantids
Examples of oothecae:
Gonatista grisea (Grizzled Mantid) 
Liturgusa maya 
Brunneria borealis (Brunner's Mantis) 
Litaneutria minor 
Mantis religiosa (European mantis) 
Phyllovates chlorophaea (Texas Unicorn Mantis) 
Stagmomantis californica (California Mantis) 
Stagmomantis gracilipes (Arizona Tan Mantis) 
Tenodera angustipennis (Narrow-winged Mantis)
Iris oratoria (Mediterranean Mantis) 
Oligonicella scudderi  Season our spp. usually live from spring to late autumn with eggs overwintering; tropical mantids may live longer Food typically other arthropods; can be highly cannibalistic. Large mantids may catch small birds, lizards, frogs... Life Cycle metamorphosis incomplete, generally with seven or more molts before maturity. Eggs are laid late in the season in an egg case, or ootheca (first foamy, then papery after the foam sets) and hatch in the spring. Most individuals seen in the field are gravid females; males are often eaten by females immediately after mating. (9)Remarks Except for adaptations to predatory life that make the group look peculiar, mantids are otherwise close to Blattodea. Differences between lineages of the Polyneoptera are now considered rather low-level. (10)
Non-native species
Liturgusa maya. From the Neotropics, recently
European Mantis, Mantis religiosa. From Europe, late 19th century
Asian Jumping Mantis, Statilia maculata. From Asia, recently (2010s?)
Narrow-winged Mantis, Tenodera angustipennis. From Asia, 1930
Chinese Mantid, Tenodera sinensis. From China, late 19th century
Mediterranean Mantis, Iris oratoria. From w. Palaearctic See Also Similar raptorial legs are found among Heteroptera ( Reduviidae, Nepidae); Neuroptera ( Mantispidae); and some Diptera
Works Cited | 3. | MANTODEA Gottesanbeterinnen der Welt
Reinhard Ehrmann. 2002. Natur und Tier-Verlag. | |
| 4. | The Praying Mantids
Frederick R. Prete, Lawrence E. Hurd, Patrick, H. Wells, Harrington Wells. 2000. Johns Hopkins University Press. |  |
| 6. | Grasshoppers and Mantids of the World
Ken Preston-Mafham. 1991. Facts on File, Inc. | |
| 10. | Evolution of the Insects
David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel. 2005. | |
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