Inner foreleg Black eyespot123

Numbers in the drawing: look here to identify it

  1. Large, elongated black spot inside the front coxa
  2. Only yellow dots in the spine grooves (no black marks)
  3. Hindwings clear, brownish only at the tip

Korean mantises

European mantis

Mantis religiosa sinica · European mantis (East Asian subspecies)

NativeScattered distributionGreen, brown, yellow

The East Asian subspecies of the species called the "praying mantis" in Europe. The large black spot inside the front coxa is the mark.

Scientific name
Mantis religiosa sinica
English name
European mantis (East Asian subspecies)
Family
Mantids (Mantidae)
Body length
Males 42–55 mm, females 51–72 mm
Range
Scattered across Korea (Daegwallyeong, Gureopdo, Taean, Andong, Geoje, Buan, Muju, Jeju, etc.)
Range
Wide grassland and bushes, sandy ground like coastal dunes
Adult season
Aug–mid-Sep

What kind of mantis is it?

Mantis religiosa is widespread across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the one in Korea is the East Asian subspecies (sinica). The religiosa in the scientific name means "religious."

In Korea it turns up here and there in several regions. The Gureopdo (Incheon) population is smaller-bodied than inland populations but shows almost no genetic difference.

How to identify it

  • At the base of the underside (inner face) of the front coxa there is a large, elongated black spot or eyespot, and small yellow dots are scattered over the rest of the surface.
  • The spine grooves of the front tibia have only yellow dots or no markings (the lesser mantis has white dots with black markings on both sides).
  • There are many small black dots on the rear underside of the thorax.
  • The forewing spot (stigma) is the same color as the veins and hard to see, and the hindwings are clear with only the tips brownish.

Size comparison

Chinese mantisUp to 101 mm
European mantisUp to 72 mm
Lesser mantisUp to 58 mm
₩500 coin (diameter)26.5 mm
024681012cm

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

European mantisThis page
Inner foreleg Black eyespot123
  1. Large, elongated black spot inside the front coxa
  2. Only yellow dots in the spine grooves (no black marks)
  3. Hindwings clear, brownish only at the tip
Lesser mantisGo see →
Inner foreleg Square black spot123
  1. Square black spot inside the coxa; membrane is pearly pink
  2. White mark between 2 black spots inside the femur; pink tip
  3. Hindwing front reddish brown with a dark central blotch

Versus the lesser mantis: the lesser mantis also has a black spot on the front coxa, but it has a white dot with black markings on both sides in the tibial spine grooves, and its body is smaller and gray-brown.

Where and when to find it

It likes wide grassland and bushes, and sandy ground mixed with grass and shrubs, like coastal dunes.

The young hatch from late May, and adults appear in August with records through mid-September.

Egg case

Elongated, 17–25 mm long. A light brown outer wall is covered with a beige foam layer, and it's attached by a narrowed tip.

Behavior

It comes to lights at night.

When threatened, it rubs its hindwings against its abdomen to make a "hissing" sound.

Fun facts

  • Along with the lesser mantis, it is the one of Korea's 8 species recorded making sound.

Sources

  1. Shim & Song (2024) A taxonomic review of the order Mantodea in Korea based on morphology and DNA barcodes. ZooKeys 1206: 1–43
  2. Wikipedia (Korean) — European mantis