''Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii,'' or the spiny flower mantis, is a small

flower mantis Flower mantises are praying mantis species that use a special form of camouflage referred to as aggressive mimicry, which they not only use to attract prey, but avoid predators as well. These insects have specific colorations and behaviors that ...

() native to southern and eastern Africa.

Morphology

The adult has spiny structures on the underside of its abdomen, giving it its name. It is variable in colour, being typically light green, but it can equally be tinted yellow, pink, or red. It has a large eyespot on its forewings, which is black, green and cream and is surrounded by a green patch. The inner hind wings are orange and the outer hind wings are transparent. Nymphs are black until the third instar.

Sexual dimorphism

''P. wahlbergii'' exhibits sexual dimorphism. Females have small spines towards the base of their wings and six to seven segments on their abdomen. Females also tend to have slightly shorter antennae, longer wings, and take seven moults to reach maturity. On the other hand, males lack the spines found near females' wings, have eight abdominal segments, shorter wings, longer antennae and require six moults to reach maturity.

Behaviour and ecology

''P. wahlbergii'' has a

deimatic display Deimatic behaviour or startle display means any pattern of bluffing behaviour in an animal that lacks strong defences, such as suddenly displaying conspicuous eyespots, to scare off or momentarily distract a predator, thus giving the prey anima ...

in which it spreads its forewings, making itself appear larger and prominently displaying its eyespots to startle would-be predators. While at rest it is well

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, and is a sufficiently good aggressive mimic of a flower that prey insects can attempt to pollinate it, at which moment the mantis seizes and eats them. They prefer to prey on flying insects and spiders, but if unavailable, will eat virtually any insect. Spiny Flower mantises prefer flying insects throughout their entire lifecycle. L1 through L2 nymphs may be fed ''

D. melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Ch ...

'' fruit flies, L3 and L4 nymphs may be fed '' D. hydei'' fruit flies and the L5 nymph to adult may be fed

houseflies The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common f ...

or bluebottle flies. These mantises have strong forearms, and a big appetite while they are growing up, and therefore can handle rather large prey compared to their body sizes. They will not chase after food though, as they are not a very active species. Instead, they prefer to remain completely still, disguised as part of the environment, waiting to strike when an unsuspecting insect comes by. Like with many mantis species, ''P. wahlbergii'' females practice sexual cannibalism; however, nymphs are not cannibalistic until their fourth

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 ...

Environmental conditions

The species is common in captivity and is easy to rear. In the wild the mantis lives at temperatures from 25 °C to 30 °C (77 °F to 86 °F) during the day. At night, it can handle a lower temperature of at least 18 °C (64.4 °F). While ''P. wahlbergii'' tolerates a range of

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

conditions (with an ideal humidity of 60%), too much moisture can be fatal to it, as it is particularly susceptible to fungal infections.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q385886 Hymenopodidae Mantodea of Africa Insects of Kenya Insects described in 1871 Taxa named by Carl Stål

Morphology

Sexual dimorphism

Behaviour and ecology

Environmental conditions

See also

References