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A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is the common colloquial name for an insect of the order Mantodea. Often mistakenly spelled preying mantis (a tempting mistake, as they are notoriously predatory) they are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance. The word mantis derives from the Greek word Mantes for prophet or fortune teller. The preferred pluralization is mantids Some species hatch in small intervals, and hatching can take up to five weeks before all of the nymphs fully emerge. Not only do gravid females produce oothecae, infertile oothecae can be produced by females which have not been mated. These may sometimes hatch one or two nymphs; however, this is very unlikely. Some species, such as Brunneria borealis, produce oothecae through parthenogenesis. This is where a male is not needed to produce fertile ootheca; however, all the mantid's offspring of this sort will be female.
In the United States, species were first introduced from Europe and China around 1900 as garden predators in an effort to control pest populations. The Carolina mantis is the official state insect of South Carolina, and the European mantis is the official state insect of Connecticut.
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Some mantis species
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Acanthops falcata - Venezuelan Dead Leaf mantis
Acanthops fuscifolia - Tropical Dead Leaf
Acanthops tuberculata - Tropical Dead Leaf
Acromantis sp. - Boxer mantis
Alalomantis muta - Cameroon mantis
Asiadodis squilla - Asian shield mantis
Blepharopsis mendica - Thistle mantis
Brunneria subaptera - Stick mantis
Brunneria borealis - Stick mantis
Choeradodis rhombicollis - Tropical shield mantis
Choeradodis stalii - Tropical shield mantis
Creobroter meleagris - Flower mantis
Creobroter gemmatus - Indian flower mantis
Creobroter pictipennis - Indian flower mantis
Creobroter elongata - Flower mantis
Deroplatys angustata - Dead Leaf mantis
Deroplatys desiccata - Dead Leaf mantis
Deroplatys lobata - Dead Leaf mantis
Deroplatys truncata - Dead Leaf mantis
Eremiaphila brunneri - Common desert mantis
Euchomenella heteroptera - Twig mantis
Gongylus gongylodes - Indian rose/Violin mantis
Gonatista grisea - Grizzled mantis
Hierodula membranacea - Giant Asian mantis
Hierodula grandis - Giant Indian mantis
Hierodula patellifera - Indo-Pacific mantis
Hierodula parviceps - Philippine mantis
Holaptilon pusillulum - Jumpy mantis
Idolomantis diabolica - Devil's Flower mantis
Idolomorpha madagascariensis
Iris oratoria - Mediterranean mantis
Liturgusa lichenalis - Lichen mantis
Miomantis paykullii - Egyptian mantis
Miomantis abyssinica - Egyptian mantis
Odontomantis sp. - Ant mantis
Oligonicella scudderi - Scudder's mantis
Orthodera novaezealandiae - New Zealand mantis
Otomantis sp. - Boxer mantis
Oxyopsis gracilis - Peruvian mantis
Oxyopsis peruviana - Peruvian mantis
Parasphendale agrionina - Bud-winged mantis
Parasphendale affinis - African banded mantis
Paratoxodera cornicollis - Giant Malaysian stick mantis
Phyllocrania paradoxa - Ghost mantis
Popa spurca - twig mantis
Pseudocreobotra ocellata - Spiny flower mantis
Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii - Spiny flower mantis
Pseudovates arizonae - Arizona unicorn mantis
Rhombodera basalis - Giant Malaysian shield mantis
Rhombodera extensicollis - Giant shield mantis
Rhombodera megaera - Giant shield mantis
Rivetina baetica - Ground mantis
Sphodromantis balachowskyi - Afca - California mantis
Stagmomantis limbata - Bordered mantis
Stagmomantis floridensis - Florida mantis
Theopropus elegans - Elegant mantis
Taumantis sigiana - Lime-green mantis
Tenodera angustipennis - Narrow-winged mantis
Toxodera denticulata - Giant Malaysian stick mantis
Yersiniops sophronicum - Yersin's ground mantis
Yersiniops solitarium - Horned ground mantis
For a more detailed treatment of this insect, see Mantodea.
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Praying Mantis in Popular Culture
Mantazz, a playable character in the videogame Time Killers, is a human-sized alien that greatly resembles a praying mantis.
In China there is a Praying Mantis Kung Fu style ( 螳螂拳) based on the movement of the Chinese Mantis, although there are Northern and Southern style but both of them have the recognisable mantis hand movement (with their long and middle fingers pointing downwards).
In the video game Mega Man Zero 3 one boss called Deathtantz Mantisk is based off a Praying Mantis.
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