Invasive? The lies about Chinese mantis.
Not invasive ! Naturalized for more than a century thriving and helping to balance our flora and fauna’s. Nature knows best growls Craig Baker when someone takes a shot at mantids by calling them invasive or “It kills hummingbirds “ that’s infuriating he says! One photo of the hummingbird that got snagged by a mantis and it’s all gone viral. “Imbeciles he rants! “ Artificial intelligence can’t come fast enough! People aren’t thinking anyway.
What needs to be taken into account is the millions of mantids in the ecosystem and why the Tenodera sinensis thrives. Seemingly taking over or crowding the other species isn’t a just call. They are thriving because it is their place to live for reasons we may not completely understand. The prey that they are devouring destructive pests such as Japanese beetles, stink bugs, lantern flies, longhorn beetles and a miriad of other insects being kept in check best way possible considering the challenges of our environment. I also am not looking for and argument but am taking this time to explain as you have the capacity to understand. The damage is done not by the flora and fauna which strive to flourish under these conditions but by humans.
Nature is fixing these things best it can, even the most concerned people don’t understand the big picture until it’s taken its course. In some case yes we need to harness the blight and infestation of certain species, but the average human is influenced by viral photo of Chinese mantis eating a hummingbird, no one thinks to mention or see the billions of mantis nymphs that are feeders for the hummingbirds.
I will say there is a regional decline with Chinese mantis this year, 2024 and there is an interesting trend with the Tenodera augustipennis or long winged mantis who’s ootheca commonly mistaken for the Carolina species.
They seem to be forming a subspecies and have been evolving from my observations possibly a cross breed which is quite a bit larger than they have been known to be. See here the same species and differences in size between the ootheca. 4-5 times in size!
(Oh and keep your cats indoors if your worried about hummingbirds 😂) And praying mantis are really great pets, you wouldn’t believe it!
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orchid mantis evolutionary research
The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) transitions from black-and-red to pink-white coloration during development, a shift driven by the Redboy pigment transporter. This transition serves different ecological functions: red coloration helps hatchlings mimic stink bugs for predator avoidance, while the pink-white coloration of older nymphs provides floral camouflage for both predator avoidance and prey attraction. The Redboy transporter, upregulated by ecdysone, facilitates this shift by exporting red pigments in early stages and importing white pigments in later stages.
Evolutionary Basis:
Redboy's Role:
The Redboy transporter, a novel ABCG transporter, arose by gene family expansion and positive selection, specifically to handle the transition from red to white coloration, according to research on Nature.
Hormonal Regulation:
The hormone ecdysone regulates Redboy, ensuring the pigment transition happens at the appropriate developmental stage, according to research on ResearchGate.
Genetic Adaptation:
The evolutionary changes in Redboy have allowed orchid mantises to adapt their body color to different life stages and ecological niches.
Ecological Functions:
Aposematic Mimicry (Hatchlings):
The initial black-and-red coloration serves as a warning signal, mimicking the appearance of stink bugs, which are known to be distasteful or toxic to predators.
Camouflage (Older Nymphs):
The pink-white coloration provides floral camouflage, helping the mantis blend in with flowers and avoid detection by predators.
Prey Attraction:
The flower-like appearance also attracts unsuspecting prey, such as small insects, to their location, enhancing the mantis's hunting success.
In summary, the orchid mantis's body color transition is a fascinating example of ontogenetic camouflage and adaptive evolution, where the color changes throughout the mantis's life serve distinct ecological roles in where the color changes throughout the mantis's life serve distinct ecological roles in predator avoidance and prey attraction.
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