Common name: Mantis or blowgun
Scientific name: Blepharopsis mendica
Status: Species of mantis native to North Africa and the central eastern islands of the Canary Archipelago (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife).
Habitat and distribution: Frequent in dry areas with trees or bushes, including gardens.
How to recognize it: Mantis of good size, green or brownish in color, with characteristic greenish-brown mottled spots all over the body, as well as white on the flanks.
Curiosities: Carnivorous insect, great predator of small arthropods, which it stalks hidden among the vegetation thanks to the camouflage of its peculiar coloration. The popular name of blowgun explains the speed with which it is able to catch its prey. It is also known for the same reason as “Flower Imp”.
