What kind of mantis is it?
It's the only Korean mantis in the flower mantis family. It has been found only on southern islands such as Geoje, Wando, and Jeju.
First-instar nymphs are black and shiny, like ants.
How to identify it
- The spines on the back of the front tibia lie completely flat. It's the only one of Korea's 8 species like this.
- In life, its compound eyes have pale stripes.
- The forewings have slanting brown stripes, and the hindwing tips are squared off as if cut.
- The middle and hind legs have dark crossbands, and females have a red underside on the front coxa.
Size comparison
Body length runs from the head to the tip of the abdomen, using the maximum of the larger sex. The bars only show relative size, so they don't match real size on screen.
Look-alikes
- Pale stripes on the compound eyes
- Slanting brown stripes on the forewings
- Wings reach past the abdomen tip (body 23–32 mm)
- Dark crossbands on middle and hind legs
- Very short wings leave the abdomen exposed (12–15 mm)
- Very short, kite-shaped pronotum
- 5 dark dots behind the top of the head
- Irregular dark spots on the body
Versus the millet-grain mantis: the millet-grain mantis is smaller at 12–15 mm, and its very short wings leave the abdomen exposed. The Japanese boxer mantis's wings extend past the tip of the abdomen.
- Pale stripes on the compound eyes
- Slanting brown stripes on the forewings
- Wings reach past the abdomen tip (body 23–32 mm)
- Dark crossbands on middle and hind legs
- Square black spot inside the coxa; membrane is pearly pink
- White mark between 2 black spots inside the femur; pink tip
- Hindwing front reddish brown with a dark central blotch
Versus the lesser mantis: the lesser mantis is bigger, at 35 mm or more, and has a black spot on the inside of its front legs.
Where and when to find it
It lives in leaf litter, under broad leaves, and on tree trunks.
The young hatch in late May to early June, and adults appear from late August. There's even a record of a male collected on Geoje in late December.
Egg case
Seen from above it's nearly rectangular, and small at 11–15 mm long. It's brown with clear, curved chamber lines. It's laid under stones or under the bark of rotting logs, and the eggs spend the winter inside.
Behavior
Adults come to lights.
It trembles its antennae and waves its front legs. Resting nymphs curl the abdomen up over the back.
Fun facts
- Newly hatched first-instar nymphs look like ants because of their shiny black bodies. Their compound eyes have white stripes.