#desert mantis

[tauforged]

baby lentil is feeling photogenic tonight! they seem to be getting around alright on their injured leg and have accepted water and even a tiny drop of honey w/o issue so i think we’re in the clear... gonna try a pinhead cricket tonight and see if they can catch it since none of my fruit flies have eclosed yet -_-

here’s a non-macro pic for better size reference too... tiny bean 🥺

[tauforged]

the cutest little killing machine this world has ever seen

[tauforged]

my, what big eyes you have!

[roastedbreadfruits]

Felt silly

[it-came-from-the-deep]

doing some work 🤠 in the Sonoran Desert🦎🏜 this summer☀️. whole lot of little🕷🐝 fellas out here!!

⬇️ me chasing the lizards with my pit tag needle

[gartanos]

Dirt Mantis

Dirt Mantis are a type of insect that are are only slightly larger than rats. They have hard exoskeletons with grooves and ruts in them that give them the appearance of desert stones. They are not a terrible threat to the people of the deserts as much as they are just annoyances, breaking into storage containers, stealing or ruining food, and leaving nasty bites is most of what they do. Still some children like to take them in and try to keep them as pets, although this is usually not beneficial to either party.

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Common Ground Mantis (Eremiaphila braueri)

...is a small species of mantis that has adapted for desert life in the harsh middle eastern deserts. It like other members of its genus is a light brown color with a short thorax and abdomen. Sadly this species is poorly researched and not much is known about their biology.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Arthropoda-Insecta-Mantodea-Eremiaphilidae-Eremiaphila-braueri

Image Source(s)