Chinese Mantis
Tenodera sinensis
The Tenodera sinensis, or Chinese Mantis. It is the 'classic' mantis par excellence, the most widespread species in the collective imagination and in the neophyte trade. It is a rustic colossus: females easily exceed 4.3 inches, characterized by a long, green or brown body, with an acid green line along the edge of the front wings. Extremely robust, it will forgive almost any stabling error (temperature, humidity, diet) typical of beginners. Unlike fragile floral mantises, the Chinese has a frightening omnivorous appetite: it will devour anything that moves, from crickets to roaches, up to (in nature) lizards and hummingbirds. Excellent pet, interactive and long-lived.
Ambiente
Terrestre
Umidade
50 - 60 %
Temperatura diurna
22 - 28 °C
Temperatura noturna
18 - 20 °C
Descrição da espécie
Geographic Origin and Habitat: This recovery makes no geographic-origin or habitat statement beyond the cited facts.
Taxonomy and Genetics: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy lists Tenodera sinensis Saussure, 1871 as an accepted species in the genus Tenodera, family Mantidae and order Mantodea. This recovery makes no genetic statement beyond the cited taxonomic facts.
Behaviour and Habits: This recovery makes no behavioural statement beyond the cited facts.
Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: This recovery makes no morphological or sex-comparison statement beyond the cited facts.
Cuidado, criação e companheiros de tanque
Terrarium Setup: This recovery makes no terrarium-setup statement beyond the cited facts below.
Lighting and Heating: This recovery makes no lighting or heating statement beyond the cited facts below.
Humidity and Hydration: This recovery makes no humidity or hydration statement beyond the cited facts below.
Feeding and Supplementation: NC State Extension identifies the Chinese praying mantid as Tenodera sinensis. It reports that Chinese mantids usually wait for the approach of prey and feed on animals they can subdue, including butterflies, cockroaches, crickets, flies, grasshoppers, moths, and spiders. The same source reports that Chinese mantids have been photographed feeding on hummingbirds.
Compatibility and Coexistence: This recovery makes no compatibility or coexistence recommendation beyond the cited facts below.
Health and Common Diseases: This recovery makes no health or disease statement beyond the cited facts below.
Origem e distribuição geográfica
Esta espécie é originária de: Asia Orientale (Campi, praterie, boschi misti in Cina, Giappone, introdotta e naturalizzata in Nord America).
Origem
Cosmopolita ou apresentadoAmérica do NorteLeste Asiático
Perfil de invertebrados terrestres
- Dieta
- Insectivore
- They possess a voracious appetite and are indiscriminate predators. They will consume almost any moving insect, including large crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, and moths. Exceptionally large adult females have even been documented catching and eating small vertebrates like hummingbirds and small frogs in the wild.
- Tamanho adulto
- 11 cm
- Estilo de vida/Microhabitat
- Arboreal
- This large, robust species thrives in varied environments from meadows to gardens. While arboreal, they are often found lower to the ground in tall grass and agricultural fields compared to strictly canopy-dwelling species. They require large, well-ventilated enclosures with sturdy branches to support their significant weight.
- Ciclo de atividades
- Diurnal
- The Chinese Mantis is primarily diurnal, actively hunting during the day when its vision is most acute. However, males will often fly at night in search of females, drawn to artificial lights. During the day, they remain perfectly still among tall grasses and bushes waiting to ambush prey.
- Socialidade
- Solitary
- Tenodera sinensis is highly solitary and extremely cannibalistic. From a very early instar, individuals will actively hunt and eat each other. They must be housed in strictly individual enclosures. Communal housing will always result in cannibalism until only one large survivor remains.
- Reprodução
- Oviparous
- Mating involves a high risk of sexual cannibalism. The female often consumes the male's head during copulation. The female will lay several massive, round, and hard oothecae on thick branches or plant stems. These egg cases must experience a cold winter period before hatching in the spring.
- Venenoso
- No
- Tolerância de tratamento
- Tolerant
- They are a very hardy, robust, and generally calm species, making them excellent for beginner keepers to handle. They can easily be persuaded to walk from hand to hand. Though capable of delivering a painful pinch with their raptorial forelegs if severely mishandled, they rarely attack humans.
- Brumação
- Não obrigatório
- Unlike tropical mantises, this species is native to temperate Asia (and introduced to North America). Adults die off in the late autumn with the first hard frosts. They do not brumate as adults, but their eggs overwinter in diapause (brumation) and require months of cold temperatures to hatch in spring.
- Muda
- Regular
- Because of their large size, they require a substantial amount of vertical space to molt safely—at least three times their body length. The mantis will hang upside down to emerge from its old skin. Interrupting a molt will cause catastrophic deformities and certain death.















































