Species group · Insects
Mantises
WAnimals has 4 species of mantis, spread across 3 families (Empusidae, Hymenopodidae, Mantidae).
- 4 species
- 3 families
- 59 countries
- 135 parks
- Length
- 2.5 cm – 9 cm
- Lifespan
- 1 years
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 4.
All 4 species of mantises on WAnimals
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
2 Least Concern1 Data Deficient1 Not Evaluated
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
Where they live
Recorded in 59 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…?
It stalks other insects such as grasshoppers, aphids and small arthropods.
From Praying Mantis
It lives in grassland, gardens and open country of Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
From Praying Mantis
Its eggs are laid inside a protective ootheca of hardened foam, tough enough to withstand extreme weather right through the winter.
From Praying Mantis
When it feels threatened it sways slowly from side to side, mimicking a twig moved by the wind.
From Conehead Mantis
The male has large, feathery antennae and flies well; the female, being heavier, barely moves about.
From Conehead Mantis
It overwinters as a nymph on the vegetation and the adults appear in spring, which sets it apart from the European mantis, an insect of late summer.
From Conehead Mantis
Unlike most European mantises, which overwinter as an ootheca, this one overwinters as a nymph, clinging to the vegetation with its activity almost at a standstill.
From Devil's Mare
The males' conspicuous feathery antennae let them locate females by their pheromone from a long way off.
From Devil's Mare