(Stagmomantis carolina)
MANTIDS (Mantidae)

Description
The Carolina Mantid is about 2.25 inches or 55 mm long. The slender males are usually pale brown to gray with long, brown-speckled wings. They are good fliers. The robust females can be either green or brown with shorter wings that do not extend to the tip of the abdomen. The females are flightless. The front legs are modified into large, viselike appendages for holding prey.

Occurrence
These mantids are uncommon in late summer and early fall. They can be seen in grassy fields and forest edges. The Carolina Mantid ranges from the eastern U. S. to Utah. The males are attracted to artificial lights.

Comments
There are 6 species in the genus Stagmomatis. The other 5 genera are found in the western U.S. The females lay eggs in a mass (ootheca) usually on a vertical twig. The eggs overwinter and hatch in early spring. The nymphs disperse by the wind in the spring.

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