''Ameles decolor'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

native to the west

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

Mating

The

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...

behavior of ''A. decolor'' is considered one of the most complex compared to other species of

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

. When mating, males will begin with a pattern of abdominal movements while performing a lateral "boxing" (side-to-side motion) with their

prothoracic The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

legs. ''A. decolor'' will also perform a series of stamping movements with their metathoracic legs, although it is unknown if these movements are connected to courtship behavior or incidentally occur. Individual components of ''A. decolor 's'' ritual have been observed in '' Tenodera aridifolia sinensis'' and '' Oxypilus hamatus'' during their mating rituals''. Tenodera aridifolia'' has been observed to engage in a similar mating ritual, indicating both a common ancestor and that the behavior originated when the species' ancestors diverged. Females have been observed performing deimatic (startle) displays during courtship. Males have been observed to follow two separate approaches when courting females. The first approach, the "vigorous approach", involves fast rotation of the forelegs and a wide bend in the abdomen. The second approach, the "shy approach", involves slowly moving towards a female with slow, side-to-side oscillations in the forelegs. This shy approach has been observed in other species of mantis. It has been theorized that, since mantises observe slow objects as further away, males may engage in "shy" behavior as a way to avoid predation by the larger females. During their approach, males will tap the ground to indicate a desire to mate, and once they have closed the distance, males will spread their forelegs and enlarge themselves. This is designed to discourage an attack by the female.

Sexual cannibalism Sexual cannibalism is when an animal, usually the female, cannibalizes its mate prior to, during, or after copulation.Polis, G.A. & Farley, R.D. Behavior and Ecology of Mating in the journal of Arachnology 33-46 (1979). It is a trait observed in ...

has been observed in the species but only before the initiation of courtship rituals, indicating that courtship significantly decreases the risk of the males being consumed. When

coupling A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mov ...

, the male will attempt to make a flying leap onto the female's back, engaging in mating movements similar to that seen in ''Tenodera aridifolia.'' During mating, males often tap antennae to calm the female and other males may attempt to uncouple mating pairs and mate with the female themselves.

References

{{Mantidae-stub decolor Mantodea of Africa Mantodea of Europe Insects described in 1825