''Myrmecomantis'' is a genus of

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 ...

es in the family

Nanomantidae The ''Nanomantidae'' are a new (2019) family of praying mantises, based on the type genus '' Nanomantis''. As part of a major revision of mantid taxonomy, genera and tribes have been moved here, substantially replacing the old family Iridopteryg ...

. It is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

, being represented by the single species, ''Myrmecomantis atra'', commonly known as the ant mantis. It 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 ...

that relies upon

ant mimicry Ant mimicry or myrmecomorphy is mimicry of ants by other organisms. Ants are abundant all over the world, and potential predators that rely on vision to identify their prey, such as birds and wasps, normally avoid them, because they are either un ...

for protection even as an adult.

References

Nanomantidae {{Mantodea-stub

See also

References