Ghost mantis

A mantis dressed as a dead leaf

The ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa) is a small mantis of the family Hymenopodidae, famous for a body that perfectly mimics a dead, withered leaf. Its head bears a distinctive pointed projection like a curled leaf, while its limbs and abdomen are adorned with jagged lobes and flaps that break up its outline. Its colour ranges from brown to grey, with shades that adapt to the surroundings. Motionless among the leaf litter or on a twig, it is virtually indistinguishable from a real fallen leaf.

Habitat and range

It is native to Africa, particularly the southern regions of the continent and Madagascar, where it lives among low vegetation and dry leaf litter.

Behaviour and diet

It is an ambush predator: it waits motionless, camouflaged, and catches small insects — fruit flies and other suitably sized insects — with a lightning strike of its raptorial forelegs. Its camouflage serves both to hide from predators and to surprise prey.

Did you know?

It is one of the most popular mantises in the terrarium hobby, prized for its unusual look and because, unusually for a mantis, it tolerates the presence of other individuals relatively well, with a lower tendency to cannibalism. This makes it one of the few mantises that can be kept in groups.

Conservation

It has no major species-specific IUCN assessment and is considered common across its range. As with many insects, its conservation depends on the health of African natural habitats.