Chinese Mantis - Tenodera sinensis

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Ken Schneider, 4 August, 2011 - 5:20pm

also,

shape of head and markings on head are characteristic (note the stripes through the eye and on the face).

… David J. Ferguson, 14 July, 2011 - 2:40pm

Thanks,

David, that info is very helpful.

… Nancy Kent, 16 July, 2011 - 8:05am

Chinese mantis

Subadult Chinese mantis Tenodera sinensis, likely a male.

… Yen Saw, 14 July, 2011 - 2:22pm

Thanks,

Yen, I appreciate that ID and gender.

… Nancy Kent, 16 July, 2011 - 8:06am

Chinese mantid

Guide.

… John Stanard, 14 July, 2011 - 1:25pm

Thanks,

John, I appreciate that ID. I was actually getting pics of the Sachem Skipper when it flew to another leaf and I suddenly realized that the Mantis had captured it. I got some really neat shots of the awful assault!
Would you please tell me characteristics of my individual let you know that it is Tenodera aridifolia?

… Nancy Kent, 14 July, 2011 - 1:31pm

ID tips

I used a process of elimination. The first thing I looked at was the size relative to the skipper. Your mantis is still a nymph, but it appears to me to be comparable in size to an adult Mantis religiosa or Stagmomantis carolina, or perhaps a bit larger.

I also looked at the body dimensions, specifically the length of the head/prothorax (the long "neck") relative to the length of the rest of the body. With S. carolina these are roughly equal; on T.aridifolia the head/prothorax are shorter than the rest of the body.

Finally, I looked for distinctive markings. M. religiosa has under-arm spots and S. carolina has a dark "stigmata" on the back. Neither of these marks are present on your mantis.

… John Stanard, 14 July, 2011 - 2:01pm

Thanks!

John, I very much appreciate all that explanation.

… Nancy Kent, 16 July, 2011 - 8:08am

LOL

It takes longer to explain it: doing it takes seconds.

… John Stanard, 17 July, 2011 - 5:09pm