Gongylus gongylodes
Species of praying mantis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gongylus gongylodes, also known as the wandering violin mantis, ornate mantis, or Indian rose mantis, is a species of praying mantis in the family Empusidae. Characterized by extremely slender limbs with large appendages, it is not a particularly aggressive species[citation needed] and often kept as a pet. The mantis is especially known for swaying its body back and forth to imitate a stick flowing in the wind.[1] It primarily feeds on flying insects. Its native range is in southern India and Sri Lanka.[citation needed] It can reach up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The males of the species are capable of flight. They are a communal species, in that they are able to live and breed in large groups, without unnecessary cannibalism.[citation needed] Adult females are about 10cm (3 in) and adult males are about 9 cm.[citation needed]
| Gongylus gongylodes | |
|---|---|
| Gongylus gongylodes | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Mantodea |
| Family: | Empusidae |
| Genus: | Gongylus |
| Species: | G. gongylodes |
| Binomial name | |
| Gongylus gongylodes | |
| Synonyms | |

Its specific name gongylodes means "roundish" in Greek,[2] from the same word as its generic epithet Gongylus.