Insect Spotlight: The Chinese Mantis

The Chinese Mantis, Tenodera sinensis, is a species of mantis native to Asia- most notably, of course, China. The Chinese mantis is somewhat easy to identify compared to other native praying mantis species. The Chinese variant is more long and slender, and possesses both green and brown colors. It is typically larger than other species of praying mantis in North America, with its wings extending to the full length of its abdomen.

This species of mantis is widely considered "invasive" simply because of its non-native heritage, but in reality, this aggressively predatory insect doesn't post much of a threat to local populations. In fact, it has not even been officially classified as an invasive species. The non-native Chinese mantis may outcompete native North American mantids, but overall, the species is harmless in the grand scheme of an environmental impact. The Chinese mantis eats many pest insects, but it doesn't discriminate, and will also eat beneficial insects like butterflies and other pollinators.

Chinese mantises, much like other species of mantids, are lie-in-wait predators. They sit motionless, blending in with their surroundings, and wait for their prey to come by. When the opportunity arises, the Chinese mantis latches out with its powerful front arms, grasping its prey tightly. Often times the mantis will eat its prey alive after catching it, seizing the smaller insect in its grip and feeding without care. Like other mantises, the Chinese mantis eats all kind of smaller insects and spiders. The larger of the species, female Chinese mantises may even feed on small reptiles and amphibians, and even small birds like hummingbirds. They are the utmost opportunistic hunter, eating whatever they can get a hold of.

Chinese mantids typically only live for about a year, hatching in he spring and spending the majority of the season eating and growing. After molting to their full size, adult mantids will mate and lay eggs in the late summer. Tenodera sinensis typically die when the frost and snow arrives, freezing off. Their eggs, however, survive over winter in egg cases called "ootheca." Even as babies, mantids are predatory and opportunistic. If their siblings hatch late, the older mantid hatchlings will eat their younger siblings.

Many people know of the mantis for its famous mating ritual. In many cases, after mating, the female will eat the male- starting with its head. In many ways, the male sacrifice of death upon mating is actually beneficia for its young, as it provides additional nutrients to the mother. This contributes to the health of her and her eggs, as well as ensuring the quality of the egg case that will protect the young through the winter.

When you look at a mantis, or even another insect species like some dragonflies, you may spot a black dot in the middle of each eye that resembles a pupil. This "pupil" is somewhat interesting in the way that it appears to follow the viewer no mater where they view it from, giving the feeling that the insect always has its eyes on you. However, this is not the case! The eyes of a mantis are made up of thousands of tiny individual light receptors called "ommatidia." The black dot you're seeing is referred to as a "pseudopupil." When you look at a mantis at a specific angle, you are actually viewing some of the ommatidia that are absorbing the light, which makes the "pupil" appear black. The rest of the eye appears another color (green in Chinese mantises) because the light receptors around the dark spot are reflecting wavelengths.

The next time you spot a mantis in the wild, whether it be one of these non-native Chinese mantises or not, appreciate it for its power and skill as a voracious predator, and for its hardy nature and method of survival.