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Praying Mantis -
Tenodera aridifolia sinensis Class Insecta / Subclass Pterygota / Infraclass Neoptera / Order Dictyoptera / Suborder Mantodea / Family Mantidae -- mantids This mantis is commonly known as the Chinese mantis. Although the female sometimes eats the male after mating, its name suggests a more benign activity. Live adult and nymph mantids photographed in the wild at northern Illinois, USA. |
This huge female Chinese Mantis has caught a grasshopper.
I watched as this praying mantis snatched a grasshopper in
midair. The mantis strike has been captured in high-speed
photography and measured at 30 to 50 one-thousandths of a second
-- faster than the eye can see. Mantids rely on their exquisite
camouflage while hunting. They usually remain in ambush
completely motionless, letting prey blunder into range, or they
do a slow stalk much like a cat. It is frequently reported that
prey becomes impaled on the spines lining the front legs, but I
don't think that's correct. The spines are simply not situated
in such wise as to effect penetration; they appear to me
arranged for grasping and holding an insect while it is being
dismantled.
True to form, this mantis first attacked the neck of the grasshopper, a soft spot in the armor. Thus, the struggle quickly ends and the hunter can dine in peace. The strong prominent mouthparts of this predator have evolved into a very efficient ripping and tearing mechanism. My camera clock shows this attack and feast took somewhat less that 6 minutes. She was not a fastidious diner - various parts were dropped and only the soft abdominal segments were consumed. I don't think these killing machines have any trouble securing a meal anytime they want. Please select a thumbnail for larger image: |
 1024 X 683 |
 Extreme closeup - note 3 simple eyes (ocelli) between antennae |
 Neck attacked first 750 X 500 |
 2160 X 1440 |
This female is fully 4 1/2 inches long. The Chinese Mantis is a
relatively recent arrival in northern Illinois.
Mantis is from
the Greek, meaning prophet or seer.
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Mantids have triangular heads with large compound eyes and three simple
eyes (ocelli) in a triangular arrangement between the antennae.
Considerable research has been done on the mantis' eyesight. It has been
shown that this insect is capable of stereoscopic vision, allowing it to
accurately gauge distances as do most mammalian predators; it uses the
extreme mobility of its head (a mantis can turn its head fully 180
degrees, and their vision covers 300 degrees) to use parallax (the
apparent movement of an object against a more distant background) as a
reinforcement to the binocular triangulation.
The compound eyes themselves are a work of art - their faceted nature always presents the appearance of a black pupil pointed directly at you. It is such a convincing optical illusion that it was only recently that I even took note of it and made myself think about the fact that mantids do not have eyeballs or pupils. In addition to this curious feature, the entire surface of the eyes change color according to the amount of ambient light - they are light green or tan in sunlight, and chocolate brown at twilight or in low light conditions. Many other arthropods also exhibit illusory pupils in their compond eyes. |
 Mantis Nymph |  |  |
Late-season mantis out hunting on November 3rd, northern Illinois.
 Mantis eyes "pupil" effect is quite convincing. |
 Mantis eyes turn dark in low light. |
 Adult Chinese mantis is 110 millimeters long (about 4 1/4") |
Mantids don't fool around - they rip, shred, tear and eat.
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