R. baetica
         M. religiosa
         M. florea
         Tephritid fly
         X. violacea
         Bombus sp.
         C. virgo
         P. pennipes
         O. brunneum
         T. plebejus

___________________

Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

___________________

View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait M. religiosa, Revealing Dark-eye Spots :: 2003/08/02 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos M. religiosa, Revealing Dark-eye Spots :: 2003/08/02 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos M. religiosa, Hard to Spot :: 2003/08/02 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos M. religiosa, Close-up Shot :: 2003/08/02 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos M. religiosa, Attending Spiky Front Legs :: 2003/08/02 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos

Praying Mantis

Mantis religiosa

When one speaks of mantises, the Praying Mantis is the first to spring to mind. In Europe, it is unlikely to be mistaken for anything else, on account of its distinctive combination of size, color, and structure.

Its body length is up to 60mm (2 1/2 in), although males are much more slender than females and, as a result, are devoured during copulation. The wings are as long as the body and are, usually, wholly green or, rarely, brown.

It has a small head and powerful, spiky front legs, which are used to impale its prey, when it comes into reach (see image no. 4).

When disturbed, it puts up a threat display, raising its front legs to reveal dark eye-spots on their insides (see image no. 1) and making a hissing sound, by rubbing its abdomen against its partly-raised wings.

M. religiosa is very common in the Pelion region and Greece, as well as in much of southern Europe, but it thins out northwards; it can be found as far north as northern France.

Adults are surprising hard to see, despite their size, owing to their amazing camouflage. The picture associated with the third thumbnail from the top, shows a Praying Mantis climbing on a cucumber stem; it's practically indistinguishable, don't you think?

Top

Fact Sheet

Food
Insects.

Active
From June till around November. The pictures above were all taken in August 2003.

Habitat
Rough grassland and scrub.

Distribution
Southern and central Europe, as far north as northern France.


Top

Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Subphylum: Chelicerata; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Order: Dictyoptera; Suborder: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae; Genus: Mantis; Species: religiosa.

Top