Flower Mantis

The orchid mantis, Hymenopus coronatus of southeast Asia mimics orchid flowers.

One mechanism displayed by the orchid mantis to attract prey is the ability to absorb UV light the same way that flowers do. More recently (2015), the orchid mantis's coloration has been shown to mimic tropical flowers effectively, attracting pollinators and catching them. Juvenile mantises secrete a mixture of the chemicals 3HOA and 10HDA, attracting their top prey species, the oriental bumblebee. This method of deception is aggressive chemical mimicry, imitating the chemical composition of the bee's pheromones. The chemicals are stored in the mandibles and released when H. coronatus is hunting. Adult mantises do not produce these chemicals.

The flower mantises include species from several genera, many of which are popularly kept as pets. Seven of the genera are in the Hymenopodidae: |label2=Hymenopodinae |2= |label2=Pseudocreobotrina |2= }} }} }} |label2=Empusidae |2= |label2=Empusini |2= }} }} |label2=Galinthiadidae |2= }} }} {| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" |+ Flower mantises ! Species !! Common names !! Image !! Distribution !! Notes |- | Acromantis formosana || Taiwan flower mantis || || Taiwan || Nymphs are dark brown, flanged and spined, highly cryptic on dead leaves. Adults have green wings. |- | Blepharopsis mendica || Small devil's flower mantisDevil's flower mantisThistle mantisEgyptian flower mantisArab mantis || || North Africa, Canary Islands || Deimatic display with head and thorax rotated to one side. |- | Chloroharpax modesta || Nigerian flower mantis || || West Africa || Adult female has ocellated eyespots on wings. Aggressively hunts prey larger than itself. |- | Creobroter gemmatus and other species in genus Creobroter || Flower mantises || || South and Southeast Asia || Fly strongly on long wings. Eyespots on forewings, varying colours. Deimatic display of bright hindwings is flashed to startle predators. |- | Gongylus gongylodes || Wandering violin mantisOrnate mantisIndian rose mantis || || South Asia || Up to 11 cm; males can fly. |- | Harpagomantis tricolor || African false flower mantis || || Southern Africa || A colourful ambush hunter that waits motionless on flowering plants. Length about 3 cm. |- | Hymenopus coronatus || Orchid mantisWalking flower mantis || || Southeast Asia || Hunts flies on "Straits Rhododendron", Melastoma polyanthum. |- | Idolomantis diabolica || [Giant] devil's flower mantis || || Central and East Africa || Large insect, females as much as 13 cm. Brightly coloured deimatic display in red, white, blue, purple and black. |- |Helvia cardinalis (="Parymenopus davisoni") || Yellow flower mantis,Davison's mantis ||     || Southeast Asia || A slender yellow mantis, the female with three dark spots on the wings |- | Pseudoharpax virescens || Gambian spotted-eye flower mantis || || East, Central, and West Africa || Adult female has eye spots on her abdomen. |- | Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii || Spiny flower mantisBulls-eye mantis#9 mantis || || South and East Africa || Effective aggressive mimic of flowers, can handle prey much larger than itself, deimatic display with spread wings to show off "number 9" eyespots, variable coloration |- | Pseudocreobotra ocellata || Spiny flower mantisSpiny flower praying mantisAfrican ocellated mantis || || West, Central and Southern Africa || Like P. wahlbergii. |- | Theopropus elegans || Banded flower mantisAsian boxer mantis || || Southeast Asia || White stripe on forewings. Colours can vary. |}