64'000 question

[Juliancito]

Would some one please explain me what's the correct form to call this insect MANTIS or MANTIDS....i'm kind of confuse here....

I prefer to ask stupid questions than make stupid mistakes. :wink:

 

[Gecko Assassins]

"Mantis" is just one while "Mantids" are more than one.

 

[Ian]

This discussion has cropped up in the past I believe. "Mantid" and "Mantis" are both singular terms for the insect, and "Mantids" is the plural term. I am not sure if "Mantises" is correct....any views on that??

Cheers,

Ian

 

[Samzo]

Well, in MS word mantises is plural so I guess MS wouldnt get it wrong.. :roll:

 

[specy]

Probably more to do with greek or latin than to single or plural?

http://www.bartleby.com/61/1/M0090100.html

http://www.bartleby.com/61/4/M0090400.html

 

[Tapos]

i personally like Mantid just because Microsoft was not bright enough to have it in their database. it is fun to think those who know it all, don"t!

 

[nympho]

they dont know how to make a decent OS either

 

[Samzo]

Like to see you do better... lol

 

[Johnald Chaffinch]

are each species of mantid when by themself called a praying mantis?

 

[Ian]

Yeah, but MS IS American...afterall..

 

[Samzo]

Good point. Tbh, I think we should just use what ever word seems to fit.. no one is going to know the wiser :lol:

 

[nedweenie]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, both mantids and mantises are ok for plural. Mantiss, mantis, & mantid are ok (or I should say have been used) for singular. Of Greek origin, meaning prophet or diviner, "mantis" was first seen in written form in 1646 by a Sir T. Browne:

"One kinde of Locust..stands..in a large erectnesse..by Zoographers called mantis. "

Mantid showed up much later, in 1895, in reference to "Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi"in a publication called Athenæum.

 

[Juliancito]

Thanks a lot to all of you guys.

 

[Mantis Keeper]

Next question, preying mantis, or praying mantis.

 

[ASH]

lol

 

[Ian]

Thats a good one...I think its "praying" I mean, type "preying" into google, and you dont get nearly as many search results...

 

[Johnald Chaffinch]

i reckon there was puposefully a play on words with the title Praying Mantis. it'd be nice to know that that is the case.

( you know what i mean - it looks like it's praying but actually it might as well be called Preying Mantis because of it's expert hunting skills )

 

[Mantis Keeper]

Thats why I've never been sure of the spelling. I tend to use praying(even though recently I just switched to mantid to avoid the confusion). Though I noticed that both preying also fit so perfeclty.

 

[Obie]

I had a talk today with my coworkers...all entomologists (museum curators and professors). This was the consensus:

Mantid or mantids are the correct terms for members of the insect order Mantodea. Mantis and praying mantis are both supposed to refer to Mantis religiosa and other members of that genus only, but are common slang terms for Mantids...