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Ameles spallanzania
Around 1cm-3cm. Their colour can be green, grey or brown to help them blend into their surroundings. The females cannot fly and only possess small wing vestiges. The males have working wings which are as long as the body and so the overall look is very different between the sexes. Unlike the much larger common Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) the female of this species does not cannibalise the male whilst mating. Their tiny oothecas (egg cases) are often attached to the base of a rock. The female European Dwarf Mantis has a very broad abdomen which is invariably curled upwards and their eyes have a pointed appearance.
Lives in low vegetation in warm, dry places.
Louva-a-deus-de-spallanzani (Portuguese)
Spotted on Oct 13, 2011
Submitted on Oct 14, 2011
1 Comment
Lovely!