Legs like petals
Its four walking legs have flat, rounded flaps, just like the petals of an orchid.
The Borneo rainforest · Grasshoppers, crickets, mantises and stick insects
Orchid mantis
Hymenopus coronatus
A white and pink mantis with legs shaped like flower petals.
- Size
- Females 6 to 7cm, males about 2.5cm
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Rainforest in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, on flowering shrubs
Tiptoes after you, swaying like a petal. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Orchid mantis
Good to know
Six things about the orchid mantis
Better than a flower
Tests have shown that insects are more drawn to an orchid mantis than to real flowers nearby.
It does not need a flower
It does not hide in orchids. It sits on green leaves and is the flower.
It can change colour
Over a few days it can shift between white and pink to suit the light and the damp.
A tiny male
The male is less than half the female's size, and is in danger of being eaten by her.
Babies in disguise
The young hatch orange and black, looking like a kind of bug that tastes bad.
The real thing
Photos of the orchid mantis
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
It is one of the hardest insects to find. Look for a flower in a place where there is no plant to carry one.
How to help
It depends on rainforest. Those sold as pets are mostly bred in captivity, which is better than taking them from the wild.
Keep going
More from The Borneo rainforest
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