Empusidae is a family of plant-mimicking mantises, consisting of 10 genera, in two subfamilies. Unlike many other mantis families, the Empusidae are a monophyletic lineage. Empusidae mantises are ambush predators, with mouthparts adapted to feeding on other insects and small animals. The majority of Empusidae species are distributed throughout Africa, but they are also found in Southeast Asia and in the southern parts of Europe.
Tenodera is a genus of mantis in the family Mantidae which contains several species of praying mantises. The species in this genus can be found primarily in Africa, Asia and Australia, but also North America.
Hymenopodinae is a subfamily of the mantis family Hymenopodidae that includes several species of flower mantises.
Blepharopsis mendica is a species of praying mantis found in North Africa, parts of the Mediterranean, Middle East and southern Asia, and on the Canary Islands, and the sole member of the genus Blepharopsis. Egyptian flower mantis, thistle mantis, and Arab mantis are among its common names.
Idolomantis is a monotypic genus of praying mantises in the family Empusidae. It contains the single species, Idolomantis diabolica, commonly known as the devil's flower mantis or giant devil's flower mantis. It is one of the largest species of praying mantises, and is possibly the largest that mimics flowers.
Hierodula trimacula is a species of praying mantis found in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.
Decimiana is a genus of mantises in the family Acanthopidae.
Toxoderidae is a family of praying mantises.
Acanthopidae is a family of South American mantises consisting of 16 genera in the order Mantodea. The group was first formally split off as a separate family by the German entomologist Reinhard Ehrmann in 2002. In 2016, five genera were moved from Acanthopidae to the newly created family Acontistidae, but this has not been accepted in most recent classifications.
Rivetina is a genus of praying mantises in the family Rivetinidae.
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.
Acanthopini is a tribe of mantises in the family Acanthopidae. Ii is the only tribe in the subfamily Acanthopinae and contains eight genera and 37 species.
Acanthoxyla is a genus of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae. All the individuals of the genus are female and reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis. However, a male Acanthoxyla inermis was recently discovered in the UK, probably the result of chromosome loss. The genus is the result of interspecific hybridisation resulting in some triploid lineages and some diploid lineages. The genus is endemic to New Zealand, but some species have been accidentally introduced elsewhere. The genus name Acanthoxyla translates from Greek as prickly stick.
Acanthoxyla inermis is an insect that was described by John Salmon in 1955. Acanthoxyla inermis is included in the genus Acanthoxyla, and family Phasmatidae. No subspecies are listed. This species is native to New Zealand but has been unintentionally moved to Great Britain where it has grown a stable population and is the longest insect observed in the UK, and the most common of the stick insects that have established themselves on the island.
George Basil Popov MBE, was a Russian-British entomologist born in Iran, his father having been employed there by the Imperial Bank of Persia. Popov became an authority on the Desert locust.
The Tropidopolinae are a subfamily of Acrididae in the Orthoptera: Caelifera. Species can be found in Africa, southern Europe and Asia.
Angelidae is a family of mantises found in tropical Central and South Americas.
Lactuca inermis is a species of wild lettuce native to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian peninsula. A pioneer species often found in disturbed areas, it is of variable height, from very short to quite tall and woody. Local people consume its young leaves, perhaps with a light boiling, as a salad green or vegetable.
Astyliasula is a genus of mantises belonging to the family Hymenopodidae.
