What kind of mantis is it?
Its whole body shines through structural color, not camouflage. The body is flattened top to bottom, so at a glance it looks like a cockroach.
It is thought to be one of the groups that split off early in the mantis family tree, but its exact position isn't settled.
How to identify it
- Whole body shines like metal. Males are blue-violet and females golden green.
- The body is flattened top to bottom.
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
- Whole body shines like metal (males blue-violet, females golden green)
- Body flattened top to bottom
- Gray-brown, dark brown, and black mottling blends into bark and lichen
- Long legs and flat body press against the trunk
Versus the neotropical bark mantises: neotropical bark mantises (genus Liturgusa) also run along tree bark hunting, but they are earth-toned and mottled, not shiny.
Range
It lives on the bark and in crevices of rotting wood in Southeast Asia.
Behavior
Instead of waiting and grabbing, it chases prey, then carries it into a crevice in the wood to eat. It mostly eats cockroaches.
When running, it doesn't hold its front legs up; it uses all six legs.
Size and color follow Wikipedia. The Korean name "geumsok samagwi" (metal mantis) is used for the whole genus.