Praying Mantises

Unidentified male praying mantis from Monteverde, Costa Rica giving me "the look."

Ghost Mantis, Phyllocrania paradoxa, from the Insectarium in the St. Louis Zoo.

Bark mantis nymph, genus Liturgusa, from Belize.

Bark mantis nymph, genus Liturgusa, from Belize.

A freshly molted praying mantis nymph from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Sub-adult Giant Asian Mantis, genus Hierodula, from the Siam Insect Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Malaysian Dead Leaf Mantis, Deroplatys lobata, from the Siam Insect Zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My favorite find from the Thailand trip last week, an Ant-mimicking mantis, genus Odontomantis (Chiang Mai).

Chinese praying mantis nymphs, Tenodera sinensis, hatching out of egg cases (oothecae).

First instar Chinese praying mantis nymph, Tenodera sinensis.

Adult female bark mantis (Liturgusa sp.) from Belize.

Twig-like praying mantis (Mantidae: possibly genus Angela) from Belize.

Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) from Iowa.

Freshly-molted Chinese mantis nymph (Tenodera sinensis) from Iowa.

Adult female bark mantis (Liturgusa sp.) from Belize.

Chinese mantis, Tenodera sinensis, from Iowa.

Chinese mantis, Tenodera sinensis, from Iowa.

Mating Chinese mantises (Tenodera sinensis) on goldenrod in Iowa.

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.

Chinese mantis (male), Tenodera sinensis, from Iowa.

Giant Asian mantis nymph (Heirodula sp.) from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Female Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolina, from Iowa (10/28/16). This was the first time I'd ever seen this native species here in my home state after many years of looking.

Adult male Pseudovates sp., by far the largest praying mantis encountered on my Panama trip.

Bark mantis (Liturgusa sp.) from Panama. These exceptionally speedy mantises are a common sight on tree trunks in Central America.

Praying mantis nymph (Pseudomiopteryx sp.) from Panama.

Dead leaf mantis, Acanthops sp., from Panama.

This slender praying mantis nymph (Angela sp.) was almost ghostly as it made its way through the undergrowth in the Panamanian jungle.

An adult bark mantis, Liturgusa sp., stalks a tree trunk in Panama.

Praying mantis nymph (Thespidae: Pseudomiopteryx sp.) from Panama.

A young mantis on the prowl in the Panamanian rainforest.

Praying mantis nymph (Thespidae: Musonia sp.) from Panama. Mantises are frequently found hanging like this on vegetation, which confers several advantages. In addition to providing cover from predators, hanging upside down allows mantises to conserve energy, and provides a strategic lookout point. Lastly, they can even take advantage of gravity itself to launch themselves with greater force at their prey.

American Grass Mantis, genus Thesprotia, from Belize.

A Chinese mantis nymph (Tenodera sinensis) next to its recent molt in Iowa.

Adult female shield (or hooded) Mantis (genus Rhombodera) from the Chiang Mai Insect Zoo in Thailand.

Giant mantis (possibly Heirodula sp.) from Thailand.

Male grizzled mantis, Gonatista grisea, from Puerto Rico.

Chinese mantis (female) molting to her adult form, complete with brand-new wings. (Tenodera sinensis, in Iowa)