(from the Greek: mantis = soothsayer)

Praying mantids are among Kentucky’s most distinct insects. Their large, “raptorial” front legs make them easy to recognize. Praying mantids have 2 pairs of wings, and the front pair is thickened, much like the front pair of grasshopper wings. Mantids have chewing mouthparts, large eyes, and incomplete metamorphosis. The only insects sometimes mistaken for praying mantids are the “mantidflies.” Mantidflies are in the order Neuroptera, and resemble small praying mantids. Like all insects in Neuroptera, though, the front wings on a mantidsfly are not thickened as with true mantids.

Praying mantids are often found in vegetation, gardens, and similar habitats. They are predators and feed on almost any creature that they can capture. The largest mantid in the U.S. is the Chinese Mantid. It can reach almost 5 inches in length. Praying mantids are closely related to walking sticks, crickets, and grasshoppers, and are included in the order Orthoptera in some insect guides.

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