''Phyllocrania paradoxa'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

ghost mantis, is a small

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 ...

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 ...

from Africa remarkable for its leaf-like body. It is one of the three species in the genus '' Phyllocrania''. It is known for its distinct and exclusive camouflaged appearance of a dry weathered leaf. pawsforthoughtpetcentres.co.uk
PhasmidsinCyberspace.com 2005
PrayingMantid.co.uk
2006 Bugman Educational Entoprises

Description

Compared to many other mantis, praying mantises, the ghost mantis is a "miniature species" growing to only about long. It comes in various brownish shades from very dark brown (almost black) to greenish gray. An individual's colors change between

molt In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

s and are also dependent on light and humidity levels. ''Phyllocrania paradoxa'' is

camouflage 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 ...

d so as to appear as dead, dried-up leaf material.
exotic-pets.co.uk It has an elongated head, a flattened, extended prothorax and leaf-like protrusions from its limbs. The mantis also has a forewing that looks like a desiccated leaf, and the "creases" in the wings are actually shadings of pigment. In the wild, the ghost praying mantis effectively blends in against dead leaves. Predators such as birds tend to overlook insects that resemble their background, and by staying still the ghost praying mantis can go unnoticed. If threatened, big nymphs and adult females adopt

thanatosis Apparent death, colloquially known as playing dead, feigning death, or playing possum, is a behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead. It is an immobile state most often triggered by a predatory attack and can be found in a ...

, i.e. they play dead, whereas adult males run or fly away.
Mantis Study Group Newsletter ''P. paradoxa''

ootheca An ootheca (pl. ''oothecae'' ) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks (such as ''Turbinella laevigata''), mantises, and cockroaches. The word is a Latinized combination of ''oo-'', meaning "egg", f ...

e can hatch out up to three dozen young. 1st and 2nd

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

nymphs 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 typ ...

of this species are dark colored and use

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 ...

as a defense.

Sexual Dimorphism

As with most or all species of

, ''Phyllocrania paradoxa'' is

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, with females being larger than males. Females have six

abdominal The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

segments. Males are shorter, narrower, and have eight-segmented abdomens. At the 5th

and above males are thinner than females and have smaller appendages (lateral of the abdomen). At the 6th

and above their crowns are different. When adult, males have longer and thicker

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

e than females and transparent wings, which are longer than the abdomen. They are good flyers and are significantly thinner than the females. At the 5th

and above females are more compact than males and have bigger

appendage An appendage (or outgrowth) is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body. In arthropods, an appendage refers to any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment, including anten ...

s. At the 6th

and above the crown of females are as wide as their head and more line and smoother than the male`s crown. When adult, females are significantly more compact than males, with shorter

e and wings that do not cover the abdomen.

Range

''Phyllocrania paradoxa'' have a wide range across the African continent and its islands and can be found in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

Congo basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. It is also found in

South Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...

Habitat

Ghost mantis inhabit dry areas, bushes, shrubbes, trees in the open.

In captivity

The ghost mantis is one of the most popular species of

in the mantis hobby because of its appearance, its easy difficulty in keeping, and relatively long lifespan. It is not very aggressive toward other members of its species, unlike many

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, meaning older nymphs can be kept together without issue. However, they should be separated near their

juvenile Juvenile may refer to: *Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood *Juvenile (organism) *Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper * ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film * ''Juvenile'' (2017 film) *Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyho ...

stage. Female ghost mantises can live up to eight months as adults, while males live a much shorter life. However, in some instances ghost mantises have been known to live up to eighteen months in captivity.

Gallery

File:Phyllocrania paradoxa Ootheca.jpg, Ghost mantis

File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa Subadult.JPG, Sub-adult female ghost mantis File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa Subadult Detail.JPG, Sub-adult female ghost mantis File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa w rückenschild.jpg, Carapace of a sub-adult female ghost mantis File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa W Octellen.JPG, Female ghost mantis,

ocellus A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa F Subadult.jpg, Sub-adult female ghost mantis File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa M Flügelansätze.JPG, Sub-adult male ghost mantis's wing-buds File:Phyllocrania Paradoxa W Flügelansätze.JPG, Sub-adult female ghost mantis's wing-buds

Bibliography

*For a technical discussion of an aspect of this species'

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

refer t
The cervical sclerites of Mantodea discussed in the context of dictyopteran phylogeny
by Frank Wieland, ''Entomologische Abhandlungen'' 63, ''Museum für Tierkunde Dresden'', 2006

References

External links

Bolton Museum and Archive Service

2007 InsectaCulture Videos of ''Phyllocrania paradoxa''
Ghost mantis care sheet

Deadlymantis.com
This site have some amazing pictures of praying mantis and information on multiple species. Also, there are links to supplies for rearing and exotic live specimens.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4121024 Hymenopodidae Mantodea of Africa Mantodea of Europe Insects of Angola Insects of West Africa Insects of Cameroon Insects of the Central African Republic Insects of the Comoros Insects of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Insects of Ethiopia Insects of Gabon Insects of Kenya Insects of Madagascar Insects of Malawi Insects of Mozambique Insects of Namibia Insects of the Republic of the Congo Insects of Somalia Insects of South Africa Insects of Sudan Insects of Tanzania Insects of Uganda Insects of Zimbabwe Insect rearing Insects described in 1838 tr:Phyllocrania

Description

Sexual Dimorphism

Range

Habitat

In captivity

Gallery

See also

Bibliography

References

External links

External links