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Orchid Mantis | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Orchid Mantis

Hymenopus coronatus

InsectaRainforest understorey and forest edge vegetation in Southeast Asia

Field profile

The orchid mantis is a white-and-pink mantis whose middle and hind legs bear broad flattened lobes. Juvenile females in particular resemble a flower. It hunts from vegetation, taking flying insects that approach it.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-08-11

Orchid Mantis

The orchid mantis lures rather than hides

It was long assumed the orchid mantis was camouflaged among blossoms. Field experiments found the opposite: pollinating insects approach a solitary mantis on bare foliage more readily than they approach real flowers, making it an aggressive mimic that attracts its own prey.

Read with evidence →