Mantis religiose, Praying Mantis.
Family: Empusidae. Genus: Empusa.
Body length 43mm to 88mm
Season: All Year
This is Europe’s most widespread species, which is found over most of Spain.
Below are images of Mantis religiose “moulting” from its carapace (outer skin).
The moult begins by the process of hormones, being released from the mantis body; this is when the mantid will cease eating and will search for a place to hang head first, to start the moulting process. The mantid begins “pumping” air into the abdomen, this can take several hours, or even a day or two, before the old carapace begins to split. It will eventually split open at the back, for the mantid to emerge. First the cervix and head, followed by its legs and “arms”, last of all the abdomen emerges, but a small part of the abdomen remains inside the original carapace. This remains inside until the new carapace begins to harden, (also waiting for other body tissues to settle and mature) this development stage can take up to a few hours.
When the legs have hardened adequately, enough for the mantid to be able to prise itself completely out of its old skin; it will then seek an adequate place to completely “harden” off. The “hardening off” process can take up to several days. It is only then, the mantid will then start hunting other insects to eat. At the same time, it will seek a vertical place to hang, this is necessary for unfolding the wings, with the help of gravitation and by pumping hemolymph (is a fluid, equivalent to blood) into them.