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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.
Mantodea: praying mantids. Characteristics. Praying mantids are often easily recognised due to their large size, which can range from 10 to 120 millimetres in body length and their characteristic way of standing with forelegs held together as if they were praying. All praying mantids have the following features:
Mantodea is an order (or suborder) of large, terrestrial, carnivorous insects characterized by raptorial forelegs (adapted to capturing prey). The closest relatives of mantids are the orders Blattodea (cockroaches) and Isoptera (termites).
Learn about the characteristics, life-history and classification of praying mantids, insects with large raptorial fore legs and triangular heads. Find out how to identify, observe and care for these predators that can eat vertebrates and each other.
The Mantodea Species File (MSF) is a taxonomic database of the world's praying mantids (Order Mantodea), both of fossil and living species. The MSF has full synonymic and taxonomic information for over 2,400 valid species.
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.
Mantidae is one of the largest families in the order of praying mantises, based on the type species Mantis religiosa; however, most genera are tropical or subtropical. Historically, this was the only family in the order, and many references still use the term "mantid" to refer to any mantis.
