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

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

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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 R. baetica Mantis, Female:: Aug. 1997 :: Pagania, Argalasti :: © A.Papadopoulos R. baetica Mantis, Female:: Aug. 1997 :: Pagania, Argalasti :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image! No image!

Mantis

Rivetina baetica

Females, such as the specimen depicted above, are readily identifiable by the truncated forewings, as opposed to males, whose forewings reach the end of the abdomen. This particular species prefers hot, dry places, hence it's coloring.

Like most mantids, "Rivetina baetica" is a predatory insect. It lies in wait for its prey with the front legs folded before the face. The highly mobile head turns towards any movement and, when prey comes within reach, the spiky front legs shoot out to impale it. This mantis feeds on a variety of other insects, as well as grasshoppers.

Females of the species often eat the males during copulation, starting with the head. As a result, further to fertilizing the eggs, males help nourish them. Gee, I'm glad I'm not a mantis...

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Fact Sheet

Food
Insects.

Active
From June till around September. The picture was taken in August 1997.

Habitat
Dry and hot places. The specimen shown here was photographed on a dirt road, midway between Horton and Argalasti.

Distribution
Southern Europe, probably elsewhere.


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Taxonomy


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

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