Chinese mantis

Appearance

The Chinese mantis is a long, slender, brown and green praying mantis. It is typically longer than most other praying mantises reaching just over 11 centimeters, and is the largest mantis species in North America, where it was accidentally introduced.

Its color can vary from overall green to brown with a green lateral stripe on the borders of each side of the front wings in the brown color form. In low light the eyes of the mantis appear black, but in daylight appear to be clear, matching the color of the head.

Chinese mantids and narrow-winged mantids of the same color morph are slightly different in color and Chinese mantids are usually larger than ''Tenodera angustipennis'' which were introduced to the United States of America as well.

One way of telling ''Tenodera sinensis'' and ''Tenodera angustipennis'' apart is by looking at the spot in between their front legs. If it is yellow then it is a Chinese mantis but if it is orange then it is a narrow-winged mantis.

Reproduction

The female can produce several spherical ootheca roughly the size of a table tennis ball, containing up to 400 eggs. The oothecae are often affixed to vegetation such as bushes and small trees.

Food

''Tenodera sinensis'' feeds primarily on other insects, though adult females in particular sometimes catches small vertebrates. For example, they have been documented as feeding on small reptiles, amphibians and even small species of hummingbirds.

Like most mantids, they are known to be cannibalistic. Also like most mantids they do not generally avoid toxic or venomous prey, however they have been observed eating the larvae of monarch butterflies, but discarding the entrails.

Predators

Although formidable, the Chinese mantis is preyed on by other mantises, birds, and the Asian giant hornet in its native range.

Cultural

There are two martial arts styles created to mimic the movements of the Chinese mantis. Developed in the Shandong province of China in the mid-1600s, Praying Mantis kung-fu is based on the quick movements and techniques of the Chinese mantis. An unrelated style of kung fu that was developed by the Hakka people in Southern China is known as Southern Praying Mantis.