''Creobroter'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flower mantis Flower mantises are praying mantises that use a special form of camouflage referred to as aggressive mimicry, which they not only use to attract prey, but avoid predators as well. These insects have specific colorations and behaviors that mimic ...

es in the tribe Hymenopodini; species are concentrated in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. The name comes from the Greek
kreo-
', meaning "flesh") and ''broter''" meaning "eating", therefore, "flesh-eating", an apt name for a predatory insect. Both sexes have long

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

s and are capable fliers. Full-grown males are about 3 to 4 cm in length; females are about 4 to 5 cm.

Camouflage and mimicry

As the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

indicates, ''Creobroter'' spp. are known for having varicolored (yellow, white, red, brown, etc.) markings, which serve as

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

by hiding the creatures' actual shape and making them look somewhat like

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s when hiding amidst green

foliage A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, f ...

. The resemblance to flowers may be greater in subadults of ''Creobroter'' than adults. This flower

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...

is only partial, but is attractive enough to make ''Creobroter''

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

favored as pets, especially as they are more common and less delicate than the more flower-like ''

Hymenopus ''Hymenopus''Serville JGA (1831) ''Annls Sci. nat.'' 22: 46. is a genus of flower mantises belonging to the family Hymenopodidae. This genus is widespread in the tropical forest Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates ...

''. In some species (such as ''C. gemmatus''), these markings also serve as eyespots when the mantis spreads its wings in a

deimatic display Deimatic behaviour or startle display means any pattern of bluffing behaviour in an animal that lacks strong defences, such as suddenly displaying conspicuous eyespots, to scare off or momentarily distract a predator, thus giving the prey anima ...

. Rather than resembling foliage or flowers, some species of ''Creobroter'' resemble

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s during their early

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

stages.

Ant mimicry Ant mimicry or myrmecomorphy is mimicry of ants by other organisms; it has evolved over 70 times. Ants are abundant all over the world, and potential predators that rely on vision to identify their prey, such as birds and wasps, normally avoid t ...

is a useful defense against

predation Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

for the young, as most ants are relatively unpalatable and aggressive, making insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey, such as

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s and

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

s, avoid them. Around their third

ecdysis Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticle in many invertebrates of the clade Ecdysozoa. Since the cuticle of these animals typically forms a largely inelastic exoskeleton, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The remnant ...

, ''Creobroter'' spp. trade their ant-mimicking, dark, shiny appearance for the green and light-colored markings that make their outline so difficult to discern amidst vegetation.

Species

No consistency is seen for the use of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

s for these species. For example, at least two ''Creobroter'' species found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

have been called "Indian flower mantis". Conversely, a ''Creobroter'' sp. collected in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

might be displayed in a collection as a "Thai flower mantis", while the same species collected elsewhere might be called a "

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n flower mantis". The following species of ''Creobroter'' are described (subject to review): antodea.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1182691 Mantodea Species File: ''Creobroter''/ref> * '' Creobroter apicalis'' Saussure, 1869 (synonym ''Creobroter elongatus'' (Beier, 1929)) * '' Creobroter celebensis'' Werner, 1931 * '' Creobroter discifera'' Serville, 1839 - type species * '' Creobroter episcopalis'' Stal, 1877 * '' Creobroter fasciatus'' Werner, 1927 * '' Creobroter fuscoareatus'' Saussure, 1870 * '' Creobroter gemmatus'' Saussure, 1869 * '' Creobroter granulicollis'' Saussure, 1870 * '' Creobroter insolitus'' Beier, 1942 * '' Creobroter jiangxiensis'' Zheng, 1988 * '' Creobroter labuanae'' Hebard, 1920 * '' Creobroter laevicollis'' Saussure, 1870 * '' Creobroter medanus'' Giglio-Tos, 1915 * '' Creobroter meleagris'' Stal, 1877 * '' Creobroter nebulosa'' Zheng, 1988 * '' Creobroter pictipennis'' Wood-Mason, 1878 * '' Creobroter signifer'' Walker, 1859 * '' Creobroter sumatranus'' de Haan, 1842 * '' Creobroter urbanus'' Fabricius, 1775 * '' Creobroter vitripennis'' Beier, 1933

References

External links

MantisOnline.eu: Creobroter

Invertopia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4148294 Mantodea of Asia Fauna of West Asia Hymenopodidae Mantodea genera Taxa named by John O. Westwood

Camouflage and mimicry

Species

See also

References

Further reading

External links