Mantis calendar
All of Korea's mantises spend the winter as eggs inside egg cases. In spring to early summer the young (nymphs) hatch and grow by molting, and from late summer they become adults. Hatching times differ by nearly two months between species. The calendar below is based on hatching times and adult collection records in a 2024 review paper covering all of Korea's mantises.
The end of the adult period is based on collection records, so in warm years or in the south you may see adults even later. Mating and egg-laying mostly happen in September–October, and adults die when the cold arrives.
Where to look in each season
Looking for egg cases
- Check bare branches and stems after the leaves have fallen.
- They're also attached under stones, at the base of walls, and in cracks in bark.
- Don't take egg cases home; record them with photos.
When the young hatch
- The Chinese mantis is first, hatching from mid-April.
- Newly hatched young sometimes hang by threads below the egg case.
- Look for young about 1 cm long at the tips of grass blades.
Growing nymphs
- They wait for prey in grass, bushes, and under leaves.
- If it has only small wing buds on its back, it's a nymph.
- Shed skins are sometimes left hanging on leaves.
Adult
- This is when they are biggest and easiest to spot.
- At night, check around streetlights and lit buildings. The European mantis, lesser mantis, and Japanese boxer mantis have been recorded coming to lights.
- Females carrying eggs have a very swollen abdomen.
Where each species lives
| Narrow-winged mantis | Range | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser mantis | Building walls, around streetlights, under stones | The easiest to find in cities. Comes to lights at night |
| Giant Asian mantis | Under leaves of trees in parks and near hills | Look up in trees rather than in grass |
| Chinese mantis · Narrow-winged mantis | Sunny grassland, bushes, riverbanks, rice paddy edges | Look for one hanging still among grass stems |
| European mantis | Wide grassland, sandy ground such as coastal dunes | Patchy distribution. Comes to lights at night |
| Japanese boxer mantis · Millet-grain mantis | Leaf litter and under broad leaves on southern islands (Geoje, Wando, Jeju) | The millet-grain mantis is only 12–15 mm, so turn over leaf litter slowly to spot it |
| Red long-necked giant mantis | Under leaves in woods with bushes and tall trees | If you find one, record a photo and the location (see below) |
If names get confusing, check the Korean mantis quick ID table.
Egg cases
An egg case forms when the female lays her eggs from the tip of her abdomen along with a foamy substance, which hardens in the air. Shape and size differ by species, so even in winter you can tell which mantises live nearby.
| Narrow-winged mantis | Shape | Size | Where it's attached |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese mantis | Barrel-shaped; a thick foam layer covers the outside so egg chamber lines aren't visible | 30–42 mm long | Stones, tree trunks, branches (sometimes wrapped around thin twigs) |
| Narrow-winged mantis | Long, thin spindle shape with a long, drawn-out tip | 22–40 mm long | Tree and shrub branches, flat surfaces |
| Giant Asian mantis | Elongated oval; outer wall dark green to brown; foam layer flakes off easily | 21–29 mm long | Branches, tree trunks, building walls near trees |
| European mantis | Elongated, narrowing to a tip by which it's attached | 17–25 mm long | Close to the ground (base of walls, under stones, etc.) |
| Lesser mantis | Thin spindle shape with clear, slanting chamber lines and a very long tip | 20–29 mm long, 6–10 mm wide | Under stones, in bark crevices |
| Japanese boxer mantis | Nearly rectangular from above, with curved chamber lines | 11–15 mm long | Under stones, under the bark of rotting logs |
| Millet-grain mantis | Triangular prism shape with lengthwise lines on the sides and a thread-like tip | 3–5 mm long | Under leaf litter on the ground, between stones |
| Red long-necked giant mantis | No Korean measurements available | — | Branch |
These are the two egg cases you'll see most often. A round, plump barrel is the Chinese mantis; a long, thin one with a drawn-out pointed tip is the narrow-winged mantis. One Chinese mantis egg case produces roughly 100–300 young (ranges differ by source).
Has it already hatched?
According to overseas care sources, the young emerge along the ridge down the middle of the egg case. A hatched egg case has many small flaps lifted along this ridge and is hollow and light. An unhatched egg case is firm with no gaps.
If there are small round holes in the side
They may be exit holes of tiny parasitic wasps (such as the genus Podagrion) that lay their eggs in mantis eggs and develop inside. These holes are in the side of the egg case, not along the ridge where the young emerge. Overseas, they've been recorded in egg cases of the narrow-winged mantis (Tenodera angustipennis).
Nymph or adult, female or male
Nymph or adult?
- Full wings mean an adult; only small wing buds on the back mean a nymph.
- Just before the final molt, a nymph's wing buds are noticeably swollen.
- Exception: even adult millet-grain mantises have very short wings. Go by size (12–15 mm) and where it lives.
- It's hard to tell exactly how many times it has molted (its instar) from looks alone. Recording molt dates while you keep one is the surest way.
Female or male?
- Count the segments on the underside of the abdomen. Females show 6 segments and males 8. Females have one large segment at the tip, while males have several small segments toward the tip.
- Some sources say experienced people can tell from about the 3rd instar, others say it's certain from the 4th instar on. Small species need a magnifying glass.
- Adult males are slimmer and smaller with longer antennae. Male wings extend past the tip of the abdomen, while female wings often just reach it or are shorter.
Photo tips
- Approach slowly, and watch from a distance for a few minutes before moving closer. If it feels threatened, it hides out of sight.
- A mantis will turn its head to look at the camera. Focus on the eyes and the photo will look sharp.
- On a phone, use macro mode and don't hold the lens too close. Too close and the phone blocks the light.
- To confirm the species, also take photos from the side, with wings spread, and if possible showing between the front legs and the underside of the thorax.
- To record size, put a ruler or a coin next to it.
- Don't move the mantis or break branches for a photo. A mantis that is molting can die if touched, so photograph it only from a distance.
Rules for observing
Collecting wild animals, insects included, inside natural park areas requires a permit from the park authority (Natural Parks Act, Article 23). Inside parks, just look and take photos.
- We found no national law that stops you from briefly observing common native mantises in city parks or neighborhood fields. But each park may have its own rules, so check the signs.
- If you caught one to observe, release it where you found it. Don't move it to another area.
- Don't take egg cases home. In a warm house the young will hatch in midwinter with nothing to eat.
- If you find what looks like the introduced red long-necked giant mantis or its egg cases, don't move or release them. Posting photos and locations on a citizen-science site such as Naturing helps distribution surveys. This species has not been designated an ecosystem-disturbing species (none of the 10 insects in the 2024 notice is a mantis).
We made a printable sheet for recording date, place, stage, sex, behavior, and identifying features.
Sources
- Shim & Song (2024) A taxonomic review of the order Mantodea in Korea. ZooKeys 1206: 1–43
- Natural Parks Act, Article 23 (Korea Law Information Center)
- Notice designating ecosystem-disturbing species (Korea Law Information Center)
- Keeping Insects — Distinguishing male and female praying mantises
- Insektenliebe — Sex determination of a praying mantis
- Wikipedia — Podagrion mantis
- Nikon USA — Macro photography tips: insects
- Segye Ilbo — column by a National Institute of Biological Resources researcher (mantis egg cases)