Natural-Japan.net

I went for a walk at Ikeura Dam with the kids this morning. The final week of November but the temperature was a balmy 18 degrees C. We saw plenty of butterflies and grasshoppers, but the best find of the day was this giant praying mantis (oo-kamakiri).

Class: Insecta; Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae
oo-kamakiri = Japanese Giant Mantis
Tenodera aridifolia

Link to Google map: here
(Note: The map does not show this reservoir because it’s a new one.)

Insecta: Mantodea: Mantidae
Tenodera angustipennis

Japanese Mantis = chousen-kamakiri

Location: path near Hyoutan Pond (map)

Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae
Statilia maculata = ko-kamakiri (Small Mantis)

There are lots of mantid nymphs in the garden. They are only tiny at the moment, but they will become huge before the summer is over (well, at least the females will). Praying Mantids are among my favorite insects and I’ve always been in awe of their perfection as predators. It’s wonderful to have so many in our garden.

Insecta: Mantodea: Mantidae
kamakiri

Some nice poses by a Japanese Mantis (kamakiri).

Class: Insecta; Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae
chousen-kamakiri = Japanese Mantis
Tenodera angustipennis

This was one brave (or immensely stupid) fly! It just flew in and rested on the praying mantid’s wicked-looking foreleg. Well, I guess it was probably too small to even be noticed by the mantis, so it probably wasn’t ever in any danger. Not this time anyway.

Class: Insecta; Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae
chousen-kamakiri = Japanese Mantis
Tenodera angustipennis

Information in Japanese on the different species of mantis in Japan: here at Wikipedia

Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae
Statilia maculata = ko-kamakiri (Small Mantis)

Aya (my daughter) called me into the garden to watch a praying mantis (hirabiro kamakiri) stalking an adult cicada (abura-semi) on the trunk of a tree. We watched for a while, but it didn’t seem possible that the mantis could catch such a large prey, which probably weighed as much as the mantis. After about ten minutes I gave up and went inside. Half an hour later, however, Aya called me again because the mantis had actually succeeded in catching the cicada! The cicada had put up quite a fight, but the mantis had clung on and, in a superb demonstration of brute strength and skill, she had managed to subdue the cicada by biting through its wing muscles. Very impressive!

Indo-Pacific Mantis (hirabiro kamakiri)
Class: Insecta; Order: Mantodea; Family: Mantidae;
Hierodula patellifera

Large Brown Cicada (abura-semi)
Class: Insecta; Order: Hemiptera; Family: Cicadidae ;
Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata