Desert Mantis – Abha area

I located a single specimen of Desert Mantis Eremiaphila baueriin the bottom of a wide sandy wadi whilst birding the Abha area recently. The insect was extremely difficult to see unless it moved, due to its camouflage. The mantids in Saudi Arabia include both praying mantis and ground mantis, with a total of 46 species known from Arabia. A common species is the cryptically coloured Desert Mantis Eremiaphila bauerialso known as the Ground Mantis. They occur in areas of sand and gravel and can survive in very high temperatures above 40 °C.

Desert Mantis

The mantids in the Saudi Arabia include both praying mantids and ground mantids, with a total of 46 species are known from Arabia and many are likely to occur in Saudi Arabia. One of the best known is the beautiful green and white Lappet Mantis Blepharopsis mendica nuda, found on vegetation such as Euphorbia larica or, in the case of the male insects, attracted to lights at night. Another common species is the cryptically coloured Ground Mantis Eremiaphila baueri also known as the Desert Mantis. I would like to thank Mansur Al Fahad for identifying the insect for me.