#empusidae

[herpsandbirds]

Thistle Mantis (Blepharopsis mendica), family Empusidae, found in parts of the Middle East and northern Africa

photograph by Richard Towell

[razehider]

infamous stringbean creature and pointy hat aficionado Empusa pennata hanging out on my hand and wondering to herself when i'll let her go back to her artichoke perch. when handled, these conehead mantises seem a lot more active than your average M. religiosa, so some herding is always required

they do eventually tend to calm down and only really move to stare at you judgmentally

(June 13th, 2025)

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Violin Mantis? They look so neat.

Have you seen the wandering violin mantis (Gongylus gongylodes)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onJul 20, 2025

[snototter]

A thistle mantis, or Egyptian flower mantis (Blepharopsis mendica) demonstrates its fantastic camoflague in Palestine

by tal_l

[terranlifeform]

Fasciated conehead mantis (Empusa fasciata) in Israel 

Rafi Amar

[emanuro]

A beautiful nymph of alien-head mantis (Idolomorpha sp.) from South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. #mantis #insect #idolomorpha #zambia #picoftheday #macro #macrophotography #africa #empusidae @ilcp_photographers https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf9f5rnqdok/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[flatwaterwithalittlefizz]

Can you please assign me a bug with major swag? (And yes you have to infodumb about your decision)

Omg, would love nothing more :D!!

I'm not that in the know when it comes to mantises but what came to mind as fitting for you (but you tell me if you agree!) is the...

Empusa pennata!! (Conehead mantis)

Very elegant but cool at the same time! Their fashion is cool, def would see you a conehead mantis inspired fit heh. Its head extends into a crown, fitting for a rat king, has a Mediterranean distribution and the genus name comes from the shapeshifting demon girl Empusa of Greek mythology (apparently she's an absolute creature).

Heh, hope you enjoyed my little headcanon, originaly I was gonna go with some grasshopper nymph, those neon ones that reminded me of Japanese street fashion that in turn remind me of you, but I wanted to give it a bit more thought and the mantis popped into my mind!

[animalids]

Thistle mantis (Blepharopsis mendica)

Photo by Igor Siwanowicz