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Isis

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Oct 28, 2005
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Poland
I am sorry for the quality of photos. They were taken in Spain, under a provisory tent, without the macro lens or anything like it :) The temperatures were about 40 centigrades even though I was taking these shots in the late afternoon..

Anyway.. the mantis I present to you is an endemic species seen only in a very very thin strip of coast. I won't tell you where of course :)

I didn't imagine even in my dreams that I would meet something like this...

gallery_313_44_31125.jpg


More pics in my gallery:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?au...um&album=44

About the species: it is completely wingless, very small, resembling the Ameles genus. In fact it belongs to the same famillia. I met specimens about 3cm long but I don't reaaly know what instar they were, probably subadult and adult, but as they didn't have budwings at any stage I couldn't guess.

 
I´m Spanish and I have to tell you (Isis) that , this is a spanish mantid and it is ENDANGERED!!!!

Please if somebody go to Spain don´t take that mantis because is almost extingued ok??

The law in Spain is very severe with this issues. If I were you I will take away that photo from the forum and bring them back to their habitat in Spain.

 
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Please read carefully then reply.

I am aware of the European Union and spanish law. I made the photos directly in the field, where the mantids were living. In fact the shirt that I wear on my avatar was used as a background to some photos because I hadn't got anything else :)

I wanted to show you the mantis because it is a protected species and because I've never seen this kind of adaptation in mantids. It has the same type of hind legs as katydids do, even their legs shape is very alike. And the species is sooo jumpy that it was hard to take these captures.

Btw. Ubb, have you seen it? I was wondering if I were so lucky (I was looking for any mantids, not for this patricular species and what's more I found only a male of religiosa apart from these little thingies) or just it isn't so rare as it is written in literature?

 
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Hello ISIS,

It's good to see you back again!

Did you want to try a species that is very similiar to the one in the photo? Yersiniops sp are native to my area and not endangered. It is small with pointed eyes and wingless. The hind legs are adapted for jumping.

It is very common here, but very hard to find. I know that sounds odd! But it is well camoflaged and small. Makes it very hard to find even though there are many around.

Here is a post with a bit of info on Yersiniops

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...c=10139&hl=

 
Isis, is that an older photo then? I remember your old advatar looking the same? The color is great for a backdrop for that phote, who would of known? and u guys hush up :p

 
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Yes, these are from 2005 or 2006, I don't remember exactly. I just didn't share :)

 

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