Mieske
Active member
So, my friend in South Africa took this picture. What species is this?
I need this species identified
- Thread starter Mieske
- Start date
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guapoalto049
Well-known member
Looks like one of the Ameles spp.
Sticky
Well-known member
It's fuzzy! Ive never seen a mantis that is so fuzzy. Expand the picture and look at it's underside.
Mieske
Active member
I can't. I live in the US. My friend lives in South Africa. It's the only pic he took.
Edit: I realized you meant expand this picture.
Edit: I realized you meant expand this picture.
Last edited by a moderator:
Mieske
Active member
I'm starting to wonder if this is real. I can't find a fuzzy Mantid picture anywhere on the Internet.
Ranitomeya
Well-known member
Some mantises have hairs along the sides of their bodies to help them break up the outline of their body when they're flattened against a surface. It makes them much more difficult to find when the hairs obscure their shape and hide the shadows cast underneath their bodies. Tarachodes have hairs on their legs and on the sides of their abdomen for that purpose.
Others use hairs to limit the amount of airflow across their exoskeleton to help them further limit the loss of moisture. It also tends to aid in reflecting some of the sun's rays to keep them cooler. If you look closely at Blepharopsis mendica, you'll find they are covered with fuzz.
Others use hairs to limit the amount of airflow across their exoskeleton to help them further limit the loss of moisture. It also tends to aid in reflecting some of the sun's rays to keep them cooler. If you look closely at Blepharopsis mendica, you'll find they are covered with fuzz.
Mieske
Active member
That's it! Thank you!!!!
Glad to see it was ID'd too, great effort Ranitomeya.
