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Image Credits: Ground Mantid sketch by Hannah Nadel in Rare Invertebrates of the South Okanagan brochure; photo by Rob Cannings
Mantids are carnivorous insects distantly related to grasshoppers
and
cockroaches. They are easily recognized by their long, slender,
neck-like thorax and grasping
front legs but not easily seen in
their protective brown and green colourings. They have
prominent
compound eyes, and threadlike antennae.
The elongated fore legs are adapted for
grasping and holding prey.
Long, slender middle and hind legs are used for walking,
standing
and leaping, giving this Okanagan species its common name, Agile
Ground Mantid.
The males are usually fully winged, but females are flightless
- their wings are greatly
reduced, less than one-third the length
of the abdomen. As well, the males usually have a dark
spot on
their hindwings and the females a roughened
pronotum.
The Ground Mantid can run with great agility and is often difficult
to
capture. Flying males are often attracted to lights; all of
the 11 males collected in Canada
were collected at or near lights
in July and August.
This, the only native mantid in
Canada, is restricted to the dry
shrub-steppes of the southern Okanagan Valley and is one of
the
smaller mantids (25-30 mm in length). Despite recent
entomological
attention to this habitat in the
last decade, the ground mantid
has been found only a handful of times. Sometimes this
mantid
is confused with the much larger Praying Mantid (Mantis religiosa),
which was
brought to the Okanagan from Ontario (and originally
from Europe) to control grasshoppers.
Map
British Columbia
North America
The
Ground Mantid is a ground-dweller, but sometimes is found
on low vegetation. In shrubs and
dry grasses such as sage and
antelope brush, this enigmatic dusty brown predator is hard
to
find.
The grasslands of the southern interior of the province are a
valuable agricultural resource, and their rich soils have been
ploughed and irrigated to produce tree fruits, grapes, and vegetables.
Pesticide use has probably had a great impact on native insects
living in around agricultural areas. As well, heavy grazing has
altered the plant composition of grasslands, changing the invertebrate
communities.
The massive diversity of invertebrate species in British Columbia
makes it very difficult for entomologists to do a literature or
collection survey to determine which species are endangered or
threatened. Specialized, detailed surveys will be required for
almost every species that is suspected of being endangered. Despite
a general ignorance about invertebrate distribution, information
is known about a number of species that are confined to threatened
habitats of very limited extent in the Thompson-Okanagan valleys.
In the late summer and fall, female Ground Mantids lay a small,
rectangular egg mass about 7 mm long on the stems of low shrubs.
The eggs overwinter and hatch about six or seven month later.
A female may lay from three to six capsules of 50 to 400 eggs
each. The nymphs mature in about 13 weeks. Northern species have
one brood and hibernate in the egg stage.
Male Ground Mantids have been recorded living up to 47 days and
females up to 156 days.
Related On-line Sites to Visit
Publications
Living Landscape Directory of Researchers
and their
projects
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Rare invertebrates of the south
Okanagan and Similkameen valleys
such as this species are threatened not by direct
exploitation,
but by loss or degradation of their habitats. They are at risk
because their ecosystems are at risk.
Industry Canada
