Caught A Mantis

[AudreyElizabeth]

Here is a female I caught this year, eating a dubia nymph. You can see her egg case in the background.

 

[skips]

Saying they're invasive is a very harsh term indeed. While they are introduced...they are by no means invasive...unless you're a japanese beetle. To my knowledge I don't know of any insects species that are endangered or threatened as a result of some mantids.

Bring in a new bug and it will have an ecological shifting effect. They may be established now, but they are none-the-less an invasive species. These are my sources.

Matthew D. Moran á L.E. Hurd
A trophic cascade in a diverse arthropod community caused
by a generalist arthropod predator

Direct and Indirect Effects of Generalist Predators on a Terrestrial Arthropod Community
W. F. Fagan and L. E. Hurd
American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 126, No. 2 (Oct., 1991), pp. 380-384
Published by: The University of Notre Dame


Short-term responses to elevated predator densities: noncompetitive intraguild interactions and behavior
Journal Oecologia
Publisher Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
ISSN 0029-8549 (Print) 1432-1939 (Online)
Issue Volume 98, Numbers 3-4 / August, 1994
Category Original Paper
DOI 10.1007/BF00324214
Pages 269-273
Subject Collection Biomedical and Life Sciences

Chemical cues from an introduced predator (Mantodea, Mantidae) reduce the movement and foraging of a native wolf spider (Araneae, Lycosidae) in the laboratory
Author(s): Wilder SM, Rypstra AL
Source: ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Pages: 1032-1036 Published: AUG 2004

 

[Jesse607]

I think your definition of invasive differs than ours.

According to the National Invasive Species Council, an invasive species is defined as a species that is nonnative (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration AND whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Yes, the European, Chinese, and Iris oratoria are introduced, nonnative to the U.S. but they fail to meet the other criteria.

A better term may be "exotic".

Here in Indiana I find both the introduced Chinese mantid and the native Carolina mantid (Stagmomantis carolina, in equally abundant numbers.

 

[skips]

I think your definition of invasive differs than ours.

According to the National Invasive Species Council, an invasive species is defined as a species that is nonnative (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration AND whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Yes, the European, Chinese, and Iris oratoria are introduced, nonnative to the U.S. but they fail to meet the other criteria.

A better term may be "exotic".

Here in Indiana I find both the introduced Chinese mantid and the native Carolina mantid (Stagmomantis carolina, in equally abundant numbers.

Possibly you are correct, but I feel we have the same defintion--mine is only strictor. "causes environmental harm" is a relative idea. I've posted sources which attribute top down trophic cascades and shifts in abundance of orthopterans and in one case an arachnid species to their introduction. If you define "harm to the environment" as harm to environment facets that humans use then you would be absolutely correct. If orthopterans arent there then grass overgrows. If this happens nematode diversity can shift...and so on and so forth.

This is now one of those cases like the introduction of earthworms to ohio. Ohio never had earthworms--it was a post glacial region. Their introduction completely shifted the ecosystem to what we know it as today...with a loss in diversity. Still pretty, but less diverse.

To be possibly very overdramatic, I do think that overlooked introductions like these coupled with habitat loss and habitat fractionation, coupled of course with global warming kick local ecosystems in the teeth.

 

[Jesse607]

I agree with the "relative" part, maybe I can use the analogy of comparing a flea bite to a shark bite, they may both cause some harm, but which is significant (assuming the flea is disease free of course).

The exotic mantids may have been considered as invasive if they had caused a significant decline in the number of pollinators or to the native Carolina mantid, but luckily they seem to inhabitat different niches so they do not compete with each other, at least here in Indiana.

I find the Chinese mantids in the fields and brush, and the Carolinas in shrubs, trees and on the sides of buildings.

I think that in order to call something "invasive", there must also be widespread agreement in regards to the negative impact, or by "popular demand".

 

[The Dude]

Looks like a chinese in the picture. I've never actually seen a chinese mantis down here. Only carolinas. I've seen both color variations in the past couple weeks. Sadly their life span only goes from spring to winter.

 

[ZergFront]

Males dont always get killed by females. That's a stubborn myth. While it DOES happen, occasionally I might add, males usually get to court with plenty of females before dying.

Sorry, didn't mean it as a general rule. Just meant that it does happen. Males can even still fertilize a females eggs during mating after the female has taken his head!

I got mine as an egg case from a garden supply store. Over a period of time with warm weather they'll hatch. One time, a squirrel moved one of the cocoons because he thought it was a nut. X-D

 

[arachna-nono]

I caught this one the other night on my door. The next night I caught a ghost tree cricket in my livingroom and stuck it in with the mantis. It ate a roach nymph and a cricket before finally deciding to dismember the tree cricket 2 days later!

I have no clue what kind it is, but it does have huge "eye-spots" on both front legs.

Mantids have always creeped me out a bit.... they seem like they're planning something for when you sleep! ;P

 

[skips]

I agree with the "relative" part, maybe I can use the analogy of comparing a flea bite to a shark bite, they may both cause some harm, but which is significant (assuming the flea is disease free of course).

The exotic mantids may have been considered as invasive if they had caused a significant decline in the number of pollinators or to the native Carolina mantid, but luckily they seem to inhabitat different niches so they do not compete with each other, at least here in Indiana.

I find the Chinese mantids in the fields and brush, and the Carolinas in shrubs, trees and on the sides of buildings.

I think that in order to call something "invasive", there must also be widespread agreement in regards to the negative impact, or by "popular demand".

Ok, i agree with you a bit more. I have read studies that suggest that several mantids can coinhabit the same space and fill different niches. I think that by the definition you posted that they are in fact invasive since they have a negative impact on the environment, however I obviously agree that their effect is not as negative as, say, the emerald ash borer. However, I dont think that you could ask any naturalist whether bringing them in has a positive effect and have them give you a positive answer. Introductions like these happen all the time and the summation of their effects is large. Fine, maybe they are more comparable to fleas (i would disagree strongly) but what happens when you get alot of flees....? Like I said, coupled with all the factors listed above, is why we're loosing 30,000 species per year to extinction. People have to realize the effects of what they do.

This is just a fish and wildlife publication on introduced species. Not all have an imediate negative effect. And by negative effect (being negative enough to officially call something invasive) it usually has to effect humans in some way. This is silly.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-521/420-521.pdf

 

[saturniid]

I have no clue what kind it is, but it does have huge "eye-spots" on both front legs.

The eyespots indicate that it is a European mantis, Mantis religiosa