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Bark or bug? I think this is the most well-camouflaged insect I&#039;ve ever seen. Or, at least, ever noticed. Even now, staring at the photo, I still can&#039;t quite make out the outline of this mantis against the nearly identically colored and patterned bark.<br /> <br /> Thanks to Evgeny Shcherbakov for the ID, which he admits is tentative. Another African mantis expert, Nicholas Moulin, agreed that it was genus Theopompella but didn&#039;t suggest a species. Geotagged,Ghana,Summer,Theopompella aurivilli Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Bark or bug?

I think this is the most well-camouflaged insect I've ever seen. Or, at least, ever noticed. Even now, staring at the photo, I still can't quite make out the outline of this mantis against the nearly identically colored and patterned bark.

Thanks to Evgeny Shcherbakov for the ID, which he admits is tentative. Another African mantis expert, Nicholas Moulin, agreed that it was genus Theopompella but didn't suggest a species.

    comments (9)

  1. View Flown Kimmerling's profile
    Flown Kimmerling
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    WOWWWW! This is just fantastic! Thanks for sharing this find with us! :o Posted 6 years ago
    1. View John Sullivan's profile
      John Sullivan
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      I was so happy when my brain registered what my eyes were looking at. Posted 6 years ago
  3. View Patomarazul's profile
    Patomarazul
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    Wow! This should go to some of the best camouflage lists! Posted 6 years ago
  4. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
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    Whilst there's a lot of competition....


    I'd agree this one ranks extremely highly in that list. How did you even find it?     Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
    1. View John Sullivan's profile
      John Sullivan
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      I was searching tree trunks at night mainly for geckos but my eye noticed something odd about the shadows my flashlight was creating, and I stared at it for a few seconds before recognizing the mantis head and thorax. Posted 6 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
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        This one is dedicated to you :)

        Haemodiasma tessellata, La Isla Escondida, Colombia An incredible moss-mimicking katydid with highly complex patterns as you'll see in the closeups. It is both mossy and spiny. Very lengthy antennae and fully developed wings. I'm quite sure of the Haemodiasma genus, as the anatomy of this katydid matches exactly, and the two species are reported to occur in higher elevation forests, this one is at 850m. <br /> <br /> The genus has only two known species, where there seems to be only photos of Haemodiasma tessellata online. It looks like a match to me, but it could be the other species, or even an undescribed species, although unlikely.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/69643/haemodiasma_tessellata_-_side_view_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/69644/haemodiasma_tessellata_-_top_view_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/69645/haemodiasma_tessellata_-_head_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html<br /> <br /> References:<br /> https://eol.org/pages/87576<br /> https://www.flickr.com/photos/rainbowrevery/3141292541/<br /> <br /> And check this other spectacular example:<br /> https://www.flickr.com/photos/rainforests/39050077384/in/photolist-BJ5zij-dZzj3r-BjeZnb-228DTPi-22uHRwh-23z5Myk-bPjqcR Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Haemodiasma tessellata,La Isla Escondida,Putumayo,South America,World

        Although you win by a small margin here.         Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
  6. View Pudding4brains's profile
    Pudding4brains
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    Excellent photo too, to display it so barely recognizable!! Gotta love this stuff :o)) Posted 6 years ago
    1. View John Sullivan's profile
      John Sullivan
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      Thanks! This photo was taken the day after I first saw this mantis at night. I have photos from when I first saw it also. In those, the small shadows cast by the flashlight make it not quite as perfectly camouflaged. Then the next afternoon I was looking around in the same area when I saw it again, on a different tree about ten feet away. (I was half hoping to see it again, and definitely looking specifically for it this time.) Comparing the photos shows that it's definitely the same individual. The photos taken in the day, like this one, show off the camouflage best. Posted 6 years ago
      1. View Pudding4brains's profile
        Pudding4brains
        Lion
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        Ahw ..duh ... stupid animal has not yet evolved and adapted to take moving flashlights and photographic flashes into account for it's camouflage ... loohoooser ... never gonna make it in these modern times! ;o) Posted 6 years ago

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The Theopompella aurivilli

Theopompella aurivilli is a large bark mantis from West Africa.

Info 1 0
Similar species: Mantises
Species identified by John Sullivan
View John Sullivan's profile

By John Sullivan

All rights reserved
Uploaded Nov 22, 2018. Captured Aug 10, 2018 14:28 in Ejisu-Juaben, Ghana.
country flag of Ghana Explore Ghana 21 21 0
  • PENTAX K-3 II
  • f/13.0
  • 8/5s
  • ISO100
  • 300mm
Captured in the summer. More summer photos.

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