Orchid mantis
Amazing fact
Studies show that orchid mantises attract more pollinating insects than real flowers do.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Studies show that orchid mantises attract more pollinating insects than real flowers do.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Orchid mantis
- Scientific name
- Hymenopus coronatus
- Japanese name
- ハナカマキリ
- Group
- Insects
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Mantodea
- Family
- Hymenopodidae
- Genus
- Hymenopus
Where the name “Orchid mantis” comes from
The genus name Hymenopus comes from Greek words meaning “membrane” and “leg”.
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteA mantis of the tropical forests of Southeast Asia that is active by day.
Looking just like an orchid flower, it waits in ambush and quickly grabs prey that comes close.
How the Orchid mantis lives
They feed on other insects. While still growing, they can slowly change body color to match their surroundings. They sway from side to side as if blown by wind, helping them blend in.
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBasic data
- Size
- females about 6–7 cm, males about 2.5 cm
- Active
- By day (diurnal)
- Range
- Southeast Asia
Where the Orchid mantis has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ハナカマキリ
- 简体中文
- 兰花螳螂
- 繁體中文
- 蘭花螳螂
- 한국어
- 난초사마귀
- Español
- Mantis orquídea
- Français
- Mante orchidée
- Português (Brasil)
- Louva-a-deus-orquídea
- Italiano
- Mantide orchidea
- العربية
- سرعوف سحلبي
- Tiếng Việt
- Bọ ngựa hoa phong lan
- Русский
- Орхидейный богомол
- Türkçe
- Orkide Mantis
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- Oakland Zoo — Orchid MantisChecked: 2026-11-04
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute — Orchids with a BiteChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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