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Orchid Mantis
Hymenopus coronatus
Orchid Mantis. A stunning, delicate predatory insect that mimics orchid flowers (pink/white) to lure pollinators. Requires high humidity and excellent ventilation.
Class:Insecta
Order:Mantodea
Family:Hymenopodidae
Genus:Hymenopus
Species:Hymenopus coronatus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
25 - 28 °C
Night temperature
20 - 24 °C
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the warm, humid rainforests and valleys of Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia). Found on flowers and bushes.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Hymenopodidae. Famous for aggressive mimicry; they look more attractive to pollinators than real flowers. They feature walking leg lobes resembling petals. Extreme sexual dimorphism: females reach 7 cm; males are tiny (2.5 cm), brown, short-lived, and often cannibalized.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal ambush predator. Remains motionless pretending to be a flower. They capture flying insects using spined raptorial forelegs. They avoid aggressive ground insects.
Morphology: Pearly white body with translucent pink, yellow, or light brown shades depending on humidity and lighting. Leg lobes resemble flower petals.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Vertical mesh or glass-mesh enclosure (minimum 20x20x30 cm for a female). High humidity must be balanced with excellent ventilation. Stagnant air leads to fatal fungal infections. Decorate with climbing twigs and fake or real orchids.
Lighting and Heating: Keep daytime temperatures stable at 25-30°C. Do not expose to direct sunlight. Maintain high humidity (65-85%) by misting daily (avoid spraying the insect directly). If humidity is too low, molts will fail, causing limb loss.
Humidity and Hydration: Keep humidity high but ensure quick drying. Stagnant wet setups cause black vomit (bacterial infection).
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly specialized in flying insects. Feed fruit flies (Drosophila) to nymphs, and houseflies or bluebottle flies to adults. Avoid feeding crickets, which can harbor pathogens or stress the mantis.
Compatibility: Solitary. Keep separate. Males are easily eaten by females.
Health and Common Diseases: Very fragile. Do not handle; limbs break easily. High humidity must be paired with high airflow.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the warm, humid rainforests and valleys of Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia). Found on flowers and bushes.
Origin
South and Southeast Asia
Terrestrial invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- No verified data available
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Venom level
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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