Chinese Mantis

Tenodera sinensis

An ambush blade disguised as a green leaf

The Chinese mantis is a large mantis native to China. Its forelegs are modified into spiked, sickle-shaped raptorial legs, and it moves stealthily, relying mostly on camouflage to wait for prey to approach. Once a target is locked on, its forelegs snap shut in a single strike, too fast for the human eye to follow.

Key figures

Length

Females can reach 90–105 mm, among the largest of the mantises native to China

Life cycle

One generation per year; nymphs molt 6–9 times before reaching adulthood, and most adults die by late autumn

Habitat

Shrubland, grassland, and field margins — vegetation dense enough to ambush prey

Diet

Strictly carnivorous, preying on grasshoppers, moths and butterflies, bees, and other insects, and occasionally small vertebrates

Strike

Its forelegs snap shut at extreme speed to pin down prey; the strike itself is almost impossible to see with the naked eye

Head turn

Can rotate its head nearly 180 degrees, making it one of the few insects able to “look back over its shoulder”

Life cycle

Egg case (overwinters) → Nymph (6–9 instars) → Adult

Ecological role

As an ambush predator, the Chinese mantis helps suppress populations of agricultural and forest pests, but it also preys indiscriminately on pollinators. Where it has been introduced, such as North America, it places some ecological pressure on native species.

Did you know

The Chinese mantis was introduced to North America in 1896 as a natural pest enemy and quickly spread. Field records there show it occasionally ambushing and eating hummingbirds far larger than itself.

Range

Native to China and East Asia; widely naturalized in North America after its introduction in the late 19th century

Status

Common in its native range; an introduced species in North America with some impact on local insect communities

Anatomy

• Grasping foreleg (raptorial foreleg) — Lined with rows of spines on the inner edge; when it closes, it locks prey firmly in place with no chance of escape
• Head — Can rotate nearly 180 degrees, letting it look all around with barely any need to move its body
• Compound eyes — The dark false pupil inside each eye appears to “follow” the viewer, but this is only an optical illusion
• Wings — In males, the wings extend past the abdomen, aiding flight during courtship; females’ wings are relatively shorter
• Abdomen — Contains the ovaries and visibly swells and thickens before egg-laying
• Prothorax — Slender and extendable, letting the raptorial forelegs suddenly spring out to an unpredictable striking distance

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