Description

Chloroharpax modesta (Nigerian Flower Mantis) (3rd instar) 1 x nymph

Chloroharpax modesta (Nigerian Flower Mantis)

Chloroharpax modesta, commonly called the Nigerian flower mantis, is the only species of praying mantis in the genus Chloroharpax in the order Mantodea. The species is distributed across West Africa.

Both males and females are about 3-4cm in length when adult. The adults are bright green with rounded blue eyes; adult females have a pair yellow ocellated eyespots on their wings. The species is able to hunt prey larger than itself, attacking and chasing its prey.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroharpax_modesta

family Hymenopodidae
subfamily Hymenopodinae
tribe Hymenopodini

genus Chloroharpax Werner, 1908

urn:lsid:Mantodea.speciesfile.org:TaxonName:2944

• Ecology:
  • Terrestrial.
• Citations (6):
  • Werner. 1908. Ber. senckenb. naturf. Ges. 1908:43 >> Note: Harpagiden
  • Giglio-Tos. 1927. Tierreich 50:550 >> Note: Mantidae: Hymenopodinae: Panurgicae (group)
  • Beier. 1934. Genera Insect. 196:20 >> Note: Mantidae: Hymenopodinae: Hymenopodini
  • Beier. 1964. Bronn’s Klass. Ordn. Tierreiches 5 3(6):939 >> Note: Hymenopodidae: Hymenopodinae
  • Beier. 1968. Handb. Zool. 4((2) 2/12):6 >> Note: Hymenopodidae: Hymenopodinae
  • Ehrmann. 2002. Mantodea der Welt 96
• Type species:  Chloroharpax ocellifer Werner (= modesta)
• No first use as family-group name is recorded in the database.

• species modesta Gerstaecker, 1883
  • synonym ocellifer Werner, 1908

Reference: http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1182680