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Narrative
Preying Mantids (Family Mantidae) are well-known for their waiting in a praying position ready to pounce upon other insects. The front legs are held open in front of the insect, and when their prey gets near, these legs close and small spines hold the prey in place. There are about 1,800 species of mantids known to science. Because of the unusual nature of these insects they are frequently studied, and one could presume that most of the species have already been described. Some scientists now place the mantids in their own order.
Taxonomy
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Latin
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English
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Kingdom
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Animalia
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Animal
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Phylum
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Arthropoda
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Jointed Legged Animals
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Class
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Insecta
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Insects
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Order
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Orthoptera
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Grasshoppers plus Allies
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Family
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Mantidae
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Mantids
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SubFamily
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References
| Title | Author | Comments |
| How to Know the Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches, and Their Allies | Helfer, Jacques R. | |
| Grasshoppers and Mantids of the World | Preston-Mafham, Ken | This 192 page book has a lot of interesting text and many beautiful photographs. There are sections on egg-laing, courtship, and enemies, etc. Although there is a good overview on higher classification and many interesting species are pictured, this book can not serve as an identification guide to either common or exotic species. |
| A Field Guide to the Insects | Borror, Donald J. | This book provides an excellent overview of the insects of America north of Mexico. Butterflies, moths, beetles, and other orders of insects are covered. |
| The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Insects | Stanek, V.J. | This 543 page book covers the various orders and families of insects. Many interesting and exotic species are pictured, and many of the pictures are in color. This is a very fine book. |
| Insects of Hong Kong | Hill, D.S. | This 500 poage black and white book gives a good overview of the insects of Hong Kong, China. Wiht many line drawings and some photographs, one should be able to identify the common dragonflies, grasshopper, butterflies, and moths of the area. |
| Insects of the World | Linsenmaier, Walter | This large format 390 page book is an excellent overview of the beautiful and interesting insects of the world. With lots of color and text, this book can serve as an excellent introduction to the fascinating world of insects. |
| Rare and Endangered Biota of Florida - Volume IV Invertebrates | Deyrup, Mark | This detailed work covers the mollusks and arthropods of Florida that are rare or endangered. Each species is described along with its range and habitat. Detailed disribution maps are also included. Almost 800 pages of detailed information make this a truly excellent work. |
| Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Northeastern North America | Peckarsky, Barbara | This work serves as an excellent overview of the aquatic insects of north east North America. Also crustacea and Mollusks are included. They keys are useful for identification purposes. |
| Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders | Milne, Lorus and Margery | The 702 color illustrations of living specimens are excellent. Spiders, scorpions, and Insects are covered. With a good coverage of arthropods, this book should be in any library that is used for identification. The text also mentions related species. |
| Fresh Water Invertebrates of the United States | Pennak, Robert W | This excellent reference covers numerous phylla from protozoa to mollusca found in fresh water in the United States. |
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