European mantis: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the European mantis lives – recorded in 19 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Mantis religiosa
Group	Grasshoppers, bugs & other insects
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	19 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Mantodea
Family	Mantidae

Where does the European mantis live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the European mantis in 19 countries and territories across Europe and North America. In Portugal it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the European mantis endangered?

The European mantis’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the European mantis?

The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) is an insect in the order Mantodea and the family Mantidae, genus Mantis. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the European mantis

The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) is a large hemimetabolic insect in the family Mantidae, which is the largest family of the order Mantodea (mantises). Their common name praying mantis is derived from the distinctive posture of the first pair of legs, which can be observed when the mantis is in repose, resembling a praying position. Both males and females have elongated bodies with two pairs of wings. The most striking features that the species (and all mantodeans) have are a very mobile, triangular head with large compound eyes and their first pair of legs (the 'raptorial legs'), which is highly modified for the efficient capture and restraint of fast-moving or flying prey.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article European mantis (revision 1380743046), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q268319 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).