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Praying Mantid


Praying Mantid
Photo Information
Copyright: Hans Hendriks (hansh) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 277 W: 1 N: 741] (2762)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-09-10
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2010-01-24 1:35
Viewed: 3045
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Mantodea or mantises is an order of insects that contains approximately 2,200 species in 9 families worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. Most of the species are in the family Mantidae. Historically, the term "mantid" was used to refer to any member of the order because for most of the past century, only one family was recognized within the order; technically, however, the term only refers to this one family, meaning the species in the other eight recently-established families are not mantids, by definition (i.e., they are empusids, or hymenopodids, etc.), and the term "mantises" should be used when referring to the entire order. A colloquial name for the order is "praying mantises", because of the typical "prayer-like" stance, although the term is often misspelled as "preying mantis" since mantises are predatory. In Europe, the name "praying mantis" refers to Mantis religiosa. The closest relatives of mantises are the orders Isoptera (termites) and Blattodea (cockroaches), and these three groups together are sometimes ranked as an order rather than a superorder. They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick/leaf insects) and other elongated insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.

Mantises are exclusively predatory. Larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, and even rodents; they will prey upon any species small enough to successfully capture and devour. Most species of mantis are known to engage in cannibalism. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. Prey items are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs.

Organic gardeners who avoid pesticides may encourage mantises as a form of biological pest control. Tens of thousands of mantis egg cases are sold each year in some garden stores for this purpose.

During fall, praying mantis females deposit a sticky egg case on the underside of a leaf or on a twig. If the egg case survives winter, the babies, called nymphs, emerge in late spring or early summer. The nymphs have voracious appetites and typically cannibalize each other if they don't have an adequate supply of aphids and other small insects. Egg cases are commercially available for placement in your landscaping.[8]

However, mantises prey on neutral and beneficial insects as well, basically eating anything they can successfully capture and devour.
siggi, boreocypriensis, horias, maurydv, flashpoint, jeanpaul, marianas, Dis. Ac. has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 957 W: 0 N: 1329] (6264)
  • [2010-01-24 2:13]

Hello Hans,
dat portret!
Mooie uitwerking en afspelen op dit onderwerp. BG duidelijkheid en top.
Een aangename zondag,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2010-01-24 2:27]

Hello Hans.
You did a great job with this picture. Well done, the pose is perfect, almost smiling at the picture. The details and the sharpnes are very good as well.
Best regards siggi

Hi My dear friend Hans,

Awesome portrait macro capture of praying mantis taken from wonderful POV with great light effect, nice natural colurs, great DOF and excellent clarity.
TFS and have a nice Sunday MF!
Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • zetu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 967 W: 26 N: 3888] (16941)
  • [2010-01-24 3:40]

Hello Hans
Wonderful portrait of my favorite insect....excellent work
Regards
Razvan

  • Great 
  • horias Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 837 W: 58 N: 2084] (11033)
  • [2010-01-24 4:18]

Hello Hans
What a lovely capture this great macro of a Mantis!
Details are beautiful.
Horia

Hello Hans,
a superb macro shot, very good sharpness with impressive detail, marvellous colours, a very nice close composition with an oustanding portrait of this Mantis religiosa.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

Ciao Hans. Impressive strange face to face with intrigant playng of light and very good details. Great BG.

Roberto

Interesting and good macro picture.
Good work.Congratulations.
Best regards.Alin.

ciao Hans!
good closely portrait of mantis religiosa excellent details of head
and well cropped

ciao sERGIO

Bonjour Hans
C'est un superbe insecte que tu nous envoies avec une excellente composition surtout que c'est la plus grosse de son espèce. Les couleurs sont belles ansi que les détails qui sont de toutess beautés.
Merci et au revoir....JP

Hi Hans
Great macro!
Details of this Mantis is wonderful!
Congratulation!
Horia

Hallo Hans,

alweer een mooie close up van jou met veel detailering en prachtige kleuren.

Gert

Ciao Hans, impressive portrait of mantys, beautiful composition with lovely blurry BG, fine details and excellent sharpness, very well done, have a good Sunday, ciao Silvio

hallo hans
super scherpe macro opname
goed licht en zeer mooi met natuurlijke kleuren
groetjes lou

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2791 W: 0 N: 6696] (25839)
  • [2010-01-30 19:33]

Hi Hans,
ecellent close ups. I like the way you composed it so well focussed. It looks so monsterous and very well exploited lighting.
i like the location and pose of the mantis.
so well presented in great view.
Congratulations for able to pose it differently.

regards,
Foozi

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