''Empusa pennata'', or the conehead mantis, 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 ...

of praying mantis in

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Empusa'' native to the Mediterranean Region. It can be found in

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, southern

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and on the mediterranean coasts of

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and

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. Because of its cryptic nature, or also possibly because of its fragmented, low-density populations, it is rarely encountered in the wild.

General information

''Empusa pennata'' generally has a large, thin body with a low mass, as well as a large pair of wings used for flight. They are mostly found in perennial herbs and scrubs. There are three ways for these insects to find mates: chemical, acoustic, and visual signals. Some predatory insects like mantids rely on

cryptic colouration Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

; they use this camouflage to protect themselves from predators and capture prey. This species of mantis, although similar in size to the common

European mantis The European mantis (''Mantis religiosa'') is a large hemimetabolic insect in the family of the Mantidae ('mantids'), which is the largest family of the order Mantodea (mantises). Their common name praying mantis is derived from the distinctive ...

(''Mantis religiosa''), is easily distinguished by the protrusion from its crown. Both males and females possess this tall extension from birth, giving them a very 'alien' appearance. They live in dry, warm environments and use their cryptic colouring of either greens and pinks or various shades of brown to keep hidden from predators. Females may grow to a length of 10 cm, while males are shorter and slimmer. Males have distinctive ‘feather’-type antennae. ''Empusa pennata'' overwinters as a

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

and reaches the adult stage by spring. Its eggs develop quickly, especially in the summer months.

Nocturnal pheromone release

Insects that depend on vision may be hindered in finding mates at night because they cannot see each other. Therefore, conehead mantises emit a sex pheromone when searching for mates nocturnally. The release of a sex pheromone by ''Empusa pennata'' is an adaptation derived from sexual selection.Nentwig W, Reitze M. 1991. Comparative investigation into the feeding ecology of six ''Mantodea'' species. ''Oecologia'' 86(4):568-574

Feeding ecology

Mantids stalk their prey and pounce on it, grasping it with their raptorial forelegs. Only living prey is selected and it is consumed directly after the catch. The predator orients itself optically, and therefore only takes notice of moving prey. The maximum size of prey which mantids can overwhelm is species-specific and depends on the prey type. On average mantids eat crickets of 50% their own body weight, while cockroaches can weigh up to 110%.

References

External links

Tree of Life

pennata Pennata is a wreck of the crater of Lake Miseno; it is part of the ''comune'' of Bacoli. It has been considered a small island since November 4, 1966 (the same day as the flood in Florence), when, following a violent sea storm, the strip of sand ...

Mantodea of Europe Insects described in 1815 {{Mantodea-stub