Hello - thanks for your question.
These notes are from a study conducted over more than two years in a
Malaysian forest:
"Natural enemies
Arboreal Agamid Lizards
I personally witnessed a small arboreal lizard Bronchocela cristatella
(Fam. Agamidae) successfully attack and eat a female Orchid Mantis.
The lizard's body length (without tail) was only 110mm, while mantis's
body was 72mm long.
Geckos
A Green Eyed Gecko (Gecko stantor) can easily eat a Flower Mantis
female. There could be other potentially dangerous species, not
necessarily as big as the Green Eyed Gecko.
Jumping Spiders
A Common Housefly Catcher (Plexippus petersi, fam. Salticidae) was
observed to feed on the Orchid Mantis nymphae emerging from ootheca.
The spider stuffed four nymphae in its mouth and then spat them out in
the form of a dark grey pellet, which was carried along in its
mouthparts.
Toads, Birds, Rodents, Bats, Shrew
Large Green Mantis (Hierodula membranacea)
Worms (internal parasites)
There are two species of parasitic nematod worms (Nemathogelminthes)
attacking the Orchid Mantis - one is dark brown, another is cream
colour. Usually one mantis has only one worm, but it can be as many as
four and they may belong to different species. Their length varies
from 10cm to 32cm. The worm comes out by making a hole in the abdomen
of the mantis. In stagnant water, such worms remain alive for about 3
weeks."
"Like many mantis species, Orchid Mantises use startle display to
scare away its enemies. It was observed, during one of the
experimental releases, that even a 1st instar nymph is capable of
scaring away a 15mm long wasp by suddenly raising its forelegs."
NOTES ON BIOLOGY OF THE ORCHID MANTIS HYMENOPUS CORONATUS OLIVER 1792
(MANTODEA: HYMENOPODIDÆ)
http://www.butterfly-insect.com/butterfly-insect/r&b-orchidmantis.html
Other references to creatures which eat the orchid mantis:
Predators: lizards, birds.
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~crader/EcoWorlds/rate-animals.html
"[Mantids are] a source of food for creatures higher up on the food
chain like bats, birds, spiders"
http://www.szgdocent.org/ff/f-mantd.htm
Male orchid mantids may be eaten by females:
"It has been observed that female mantis eats out the male after or
even during mating."
http://www.butterfly-insect.com/butterfly-insect/education-insecta.html
I hope this is helpful. Please don't hesitate to ask for clarification
if you would like anything explained, or if any links fail to work.
Regards - Leli
search terms used:
orchid mantis
hymenopus coronatus
flower mantis
mantids
predator, predators
enemies
attacked |
