ID a mantid found in china

[wuwu]

my friend was vacationing in china and she found a pretty big mantid on a tree. at first i thought it was probably a chinese mantid. however, she sent me the pics today and i'm sure it's not a chinese mantid. at first glance, it looked like a Sphodromantis sp. to me, but i think those only come from africa? unless someone introduced them to china. so i concluded it's probably a Hierodula sp.

what do you guys think?

 

[robo mantis]

i think african or chinese

 

[yen_saw]

nice looking mantis! Looks like a Hierodula sp. and not Sphodromantis sp. My guess is Hierodula Patellifera.

 

[Rick]

i think african or chinese

That is not a chinese mantis. Does look a bit like an african mantis though.

 

[Ian]

Yes Yen, I agree, patellifera looks good, as you can just see a few small white spots on the raptorial forearms...typical of the patellifera. I think its a little larger than a Sphodromantis?

 

[robo mantis]

i guessed chinese because it is in china lol

 

[Christian]

Hi.

This is a Hierodula, but you can forget any attempt of species identification from the photos. There are 8 Hierodula species occurring in China.

Regards,

Christian

 

[Rick]

Shes got a pretty nasty wound on the thorax right behind the head.

 

[FieroRumor]

Try dippin' its butt in a cup of water.... :shock:

(watch this vid!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesYpFdGSTY

(about 4 and a half minutes into it...)

 

[wuwu]

nasty

 

[bruty2fruity]

that vid is messed up...what parasite is it?

 

[Christian]

Hi.

This is a so-called Horsehair Worm (Nematomorpha), frequently found in wild-caught mantids. They have an aquatic and a terrestrial/parasitic form. The larva parasites mosquitoes. When those are captured by a mantid (or a katydid), it matures and lives in the insect for a while. In oder to reach water, they influence the mantid to jump into a pond (noone knows how they do it), where it leaves by the anus or between some segments. In water, the worm copulates and lays eggs. The mantid dies afterwards. But also distress can cause the worm to leave the mantis, even when there is no water. That's why they often leave shortly after one has captured a mantid. I saw one by myself in the Ivory Coast some years ago emerging from a Sphodromantis male.

Regards,

Christian

 

[bruty2fruity]

i know this sounds stupid. but does it kill the mantid easily?

also could a mantid still procreate with one of these things inside him?

also christian, its probable that they release a chemical to affect the mantis' brain pattern. several wasp grubs do this to their prey spiders/other wasps etc

 

[Rick]

Is this parasite confined to that part of the world? Never come across anything like it in the US.

 

[Christian]

@ bruity2fruity:

The mantids are often infested as larvae and usually become adult without problems. I do not remember if they are sterile, but I think so. The mantid lives relatively normal until the worm is to leave it.

@ Rick: there are about 300 species throughout the world, mostly in the tropics, but also in temperate regions. Not all species live in mantids. In southern Europe there is one species parasiting M. religiosa, in N-America grasshoppers are the most abundant hosts. Mantids are most affected in the paleotropics.

Regards,

Christian

 

[Rick]

@ bruity2fruity:The mantids are often infested as larvae and usually become adult without problems. I do not remember if they are sterile, but I think so. The mantid lives relatively normal until the worm is to leave it.

@ Rick: there are about 300 species throughout the world, mostly in the tropics, but also in temperate regions. Not all species live in mantids. In southern Europe there is one species parasiting M. religiosa, in N-America grasshoppers are the most abundant hosts. Mantids are most affected in the paleotropics.

Regards,

Christian

When I was younger back home in the midwest US I often found grasshoppers with worms in them.

 

[wuwu]

i hope they can't infect humans. i'd hate to have that coming out of my . :roll:

 

[Christian]

Well, there ARE other species (Nematoda) which really come out in dozens of ones ... :lol:

Namely Ascaris lumbricoides, but it's rather rare today.

Regards,

Christian

 

[yen_saw]

That was gross, can't believe those people dare to play with it on the face afterwards, if one gets into the nostril i wonder what John mentioned could happen (coming out from human anus). I better stop catching wild grasshopper for my mantis.