Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00608
Giant Asian Mantis
Hierodula patellifera
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About Giant Asian Mantis
Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula patellifera) is a member of Mantidae in the order Mantodea. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is introduced.
Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula patellifera) is documented from Kauaʻi. Mantises are sit-and-wait or stalking predators with raptorial forelegs. They develop through incomplete metamorphosis and produce eggs in protective oothecae. On Kauaʻi, observations are most useful when they record prey, oothecae, sex, nymph/adult stage, vegetation and behavior. Where island-specific host, prey, breeding-site, abundance, or seasonal information is not yet firmly documented, those details should remain tied to direct specimens and field observations rather than inferred from populations elsewhere.
Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula patellifera) is an introduced predatory mantis first recorded in Hawaiʻi from Waimea, Kauaʻi in 1924.
Kauaʻi occurrence evidence: Hawaii Biological Survey states the giant Asian mantis was first recorded in Hawaiʻi at Waimea, Kauaʻi on 1 April 1924.
The cited occurrence evidence does not by itself establish current abundance or population trend on Kauaʻi.
Life cycle
Egg; nymphal instars; adult; no pupa.
Habitat
Shrubs, trees, grasses, gardens, forest edges, and other vegetation.
Food and ecological role
Predatory on insects and other small arthropods.
Reproduction
Females deposit egg masses in hardened oothecae; nymphs resemble smaller wingless adults.
Movement
Nymphs climb and walk; adults may fly, with ability differing by sex and species.
Ecosystem role
Arthropod predator.
Threats and impacts
Introduced mantises can add predation pressure to native insects; local effect depends on abundance and habitat overlap.
Monitoring
Record prey, oothecae, sex, nymph/adult stage, vegetation and behavior.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Hierodula patellifera
- Common names
- Giant Asian Mantis
- Family
- Mantidae
- Order
- Mantodea
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula patellifera) is a member of Mantidae in the order Mantodea. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is introduced.