The name mantid properly refers only to members of the family Mantidae, which was, historically, the only family in the order. The order is occasionally called the mantes, using a Latinized plural of Greek mantis. It was coined in 1838 by the German entomologist Hermann Burmeister. The name mantodea is formed from the Ancient Greek words μάντις ( mantis) meaning 'prophet', and εἶδος ( eidos) meaning 'form' or 'type'. Kristensen (1991) combined the Mantodea with the cockroaches and termites into the order Dictyoptera, suborder Mantodea. Mantises, along with stick insects ( Phasmatodea), were once placed in the order Orthoptera with the cockroaches (now Blattodea) and ice crawlers (now Grylloblattodea). The systematics of mantises have long been disputed. They are predominantly found in tropical regions, but some live in temperate areas. Over 2,400 species of mantis in about 430 genera are recognized. Mantises are among the insects most commonly kept as pets. A cultural trope popular in cartoons imagines the female mantis as a femme fatale. Mantises were considered to have supernatural powers by early civilizations, including ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, and Assyria. Females sometimes practice sexual cannibalism, eating their mates after copulation. The eggs are protected by their hard capsules and hatch in the spring. In cooler climates, the adults lay eggs in autumn, then die. Mantises are mostly ambush predators, but a few ground-dwelling species are found actively pursuing their prey. Mantises are sometimes confused with stick insects ( Phasmatodea), other elongated insects such as grasshoppers ( Orthoptera), or other more distantly related insects with raptorial forelegs such as mantisflies ( Mantispidae). The closest relatives of mantises are termites and cockroaches ( Blattodea), which are all within the superorder Dictyoptera.

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. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. The largest family is the Mantidae ('mantids').

Mantises are an order ( Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families.

Preying mantis care