Hierodula patellifera

Hierodula patellifera
	Hierodula patellifera , female
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Mantis (Mantodea)
Family :	Mantidae
Subfamily :	Mantinae
Genre :	Hierodula
Type :	Hierodula patellifera
Scientific name
	Hierodula patellifera
	( Audinet-Serville , 1839)

Hierodula patellifera is a species of fishing rod from the Mantidae family .

features

Frontal view of a female

The females of Hierodula patellifera become 65 to 75 mm long, the males remain smaller and reach a body length of 45 to 65 mm. This makes Hierodula patellifera one of the smaller representatives of the genus. The physique of the species largely corresponds to that of other members of the Mantidae family and is accordingly strong. The basic color varies from light green to turquoise green to brown, the legs are slightly pink-striped. As with many fishing rods, the smaller males have eight abdomen segments, while the number of females is six. Also Hierodula patellifera has black eye spots on the insides of the tentacles and the rear wings that are used to threatening gesture.

Similar species

Hierodula patellifera is similar to other species of the genera, such as the Indian giant mantis ( Hierodula membranacea ) or the Australian giant mantis ( Hierodula majuscula ). However, apart from the coloring, it differs from these by the smaller size. Other similar species are found in the family Mantidae . Examples are the Ghana praying mantis ( Sphodromantis lineola ) or the European praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa ).

distribution

Hierodula patellifera is common in South , Southeast and East Asia. Their habitat is the foliage of various trees and shrubs.

Way of life

The way of life of Hierodula patellifera is largely similar to that of many other fishing horrors. This is how this species behaves motionless in its habitat and lurks there for prey. If one of these comes within sight, the fishing insect sneaks up on the prey and catches it with the thorny tentacles that shoot forward in a few milliseconds. Other arthropods of the right size come into question as prey .

Reproduction

Female of H. patellifera depositing an ootheca

The males of Hierodula patellifera reach sexual maturity two weeks after adult moult, the females three weeks after adult moult. The reproductive behavior of H. patellifera is largely similar to that of other fishing horrors. Mating here takes one to five hours. Cannibalism can also occur with this species. Females can lay their first ootheca four weeks after the imaginal molt. A total of eight more can be filed at intervals of 10 to 14 days. The hatchlings begin four to five weeks after being laid, the number of which can be 150 in an ootheca.

Enemies and defense

The Asian giant hornet often prey on specimens of small to medium-sized fishing hornets, including Hierodula patellifera .

Larger mantis like the Japanese giant mantis are also among the natural enemies of H. patellifera .

Hierodula patellifera is exposed to numerous predators and parasites in the wild. These include vertebrates in particular , such as birds , reptiles , amphibians and some mammals , but also other arthropods , including larger arachnids (such as tarantulas ), larger centipedes and predatory insects . Larger fishing horrors are also among the predators of H. patellifera . Another enemy is the Asian giant hornet , whose workers and queens occasionally kill individual individuals of H. patellifera and use them either for their own food intake or as a source of protein for their larvae. The parasitic enemies of the species include string worms .

H. patellifera relies primarily on their camouflage to stay hidden from predators. This also includes the movement of the fishing insect, which makes the animals appear like leaves influenced by the wind. Movement is optimized based on circumstances such as weather and time of day. The animals can also defend themselves with their threatening gestures or, if necessary, with their mandibles and tentacles.

Keeping in the terrarium

Hierodula patellifera , like the other species of the genus, is a popular species for keeping in the terrarium due to its ease of care. It can also be kept free under appropriate circumstances.