European mantis

Mantis religiosa · Mantidae

The European mantis is a large hemimetabolic insect in the family Mantidae, which is the largest family of the order Mantodea (mantises). Their common name praying mantis is derived from the distinctive posture of the first pair of legs, which can be observed when the mantis is in repose, resembling a praying position. Both males and females have elongated bodies with two pairs of wings.

Where the European mantis lives

Recorded in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Portugal and Croatia (Europe and North America).

Introduced, not native, in United States of America and Canada.

Most records fall in Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, California, Niederösterreich and Washington.

See the European mantis’s range on the globe

Conservation status

Least concern (LC). Not at risk: it is doing well in the wild. Categories are the IUCN Red List as republished by GBIF.

Sources

The range is a density of 146,191 georeferenced GBIF records, not an expert-drawn map. Description from Wikipedia.