| Chinese Mantis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Range | China |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Mantodea |
| Family | Mantidae |
| Genus | Tenodera |
| Species | T. sinensis |
The Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) is a species of praying mantis native to China. Around 1895 the species was imported to North America for biological pest control. This species is often erroneously given the taxonomic name of Tenodera aridifolia sinensis; when first classified, T. sinensis was a subspecies of T. aridifolia but T. sinensis is a species now.
Their diet consists primarily of other insects, though adult females can sometimes take down small vertebrate prey such as reptiles and amphibians (some have also been documented preying on hummingbirds). Like some other mantids, they are known to be cannibalistic.
Captivity[]
Chinese Mantids are a common pet for mantis enthusiasts, and otheca can be purchased from plant nurseries across the US.