Afghan Mantis!

[sgvmantid]

My buddy who was deployed in Afghanistan several years ago recently shared this photo of what I think is an adult male M. Religiosa that he found in his base's open-air gym sitting on top of a weight.  Now that my friends know I'm into Mantids they're busting out all their photos to see what I can tell them.

 

[Mantid-Tim]

Pretty cool find; can't comment on the species as I've never had mantises from that region or a religosa for that matter. Looks like a boy.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Male religiosa.

 

[Velve]

This looks like a male Rivetina baetica or other Rivetina sp.

M. religiosa wings reach beyond the abdomen in both genders. The raptorial leg's coxae seem too serrated for M. religiosa as well.

 

[sgvmantid]

This looks like a male Rivetina baetica or other Rivetina sp.

Interesting, I wish I had a "Mantids of Central Asia" book like I do for North America.  Those individuals seem to have a horizontal line on their compound eye but the one my friend found  seems to lack that.   

 

[Velve]

Interesting, I wish I had a "Mantids of Central Asia" book like I do for North America.  Those individuals seem to have a horizontal line on their compound eye but the one my friend found  seems to lack that.   

The one in your pic absolutely has darker lines in the eye, the picture quality just makes it hard to spot. Increasing the saturation highlights the one under the pseudopupil, and there is another faint line above the pupil as well.

 

[sgvmantid]

The one in your pic absolutely has darker lines in the eye, the picture quality just makes it hard to spot. Increasing the saturation highlights the one under the pseudopupil, and there is another faint line above the pupil as well.

Wow just like CSI (enhance!).  Thanks for breaking that down for me, I do see those lines now.  

 

[MantisGirl13]

I agree with @Velve's identification. Cool mantis!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantid-Tim]

Great job on the ID, lol. I would never have gotten that. I just kind of knew it wasn't a religiosa.... Cool find either way though!