Europena mantids wild Los Angeles?

[SoCalMantis]

Last summer I was walking to blockbuster down the street from my apartment and on the sidewalk was a fullgrown adult female european mantid. I have see tons of carolinas and some chinese mantids(since they sell the ooths at nurseries), but I have never seen these in the wild here in LA....are they a plentiful species here ... like the carolinas are?

 

[wuwu]

does anyone of a clear pic of both carolinas and europeans? i can never tell the difference between the two. i believe europeans are slightly bigger?

 

[OGIGA]

Hmm and how do stamomantis carolina and californica differ? I may as well be unknowingly holding any of these!

 

[SoCalMantis]

With carolina females..the wings do not cover the entire body(like buwings) and the Europeans are bigger and have a black spot in the inner part of there arms (close to the top where they are attatched to the thorax)And their wings cover the entire length of their body.

 

[Rick]

Hmm and how do stamomantis carolina and californica differ? I may as well be unknowingly holding any of these!

In color.

 

[Butterfly]

Last summer I was walking to blockbuster down the street from my apartment and on the sidewalk was a fullgrown adult female european mantid. I have see tons of carolinas and some chinese mantids(since they sell the ooths at nurseries), but I have never seen these in the wild here in LA....are they a plentiful species here ... like the carolinas are?

Last year I found a VERY healthy friendly Religiosa, or European as you say. She was my favorite!! I had a few ooths but they havent hatched yet, Im not sure if they will. But yes I too have seen some here in the San Fernando Valley. I also found a stagmomantis limbata and a few others out here. Im hoping there will be more this spring and summer.

I have some pics Ill post later for you Wuwu.

 

[hibiscusmile]

http://bugguide.net/node/view/22947/bgimage

http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&amp...carolina+mantis

http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&amp...=chinese+mantis

this is a wonderful site to see different species of many different kinds of bugs. and YES you are right, just looking and not studing them up close makes it hard to tell the difference.