Hooded Mantis, genus Choeradodis, from Belize.
Chinese mantis female (Tenodera sinensis) with ootheca (egg case) from Iowa.
A hooded mantis (Mantidae: genus Choeradodis) feeds on a grasshopper in Belize. This picture was taken using the "white box" technique, wherein a box is built with white reflective material (e.g. posterboard) and the flash is moved off-camera to diffuse light evenly around the subject.