Giant Asian Mantis

Hierodula membranacea

The giant Asian mantis (Hierodula membranacea) is a large praying mantis from South and Southeast Asia, usually green or brown with a sturdy body and broad raptorial forelegs. It is an ambush predator that waits among leaves and branches for insects and other small prey, then snaps forward when prey comes within reach. Its size, appetite, and relatively straightforward rearing have made it a common mantis in the invertebrate hobby.

Captive giant Asian mantises are usually kept singly because adults and older nymphs may eat one another. A suitable enclosure provides warmth, ventilation, climbing surfaces, and enough height for safe molting; failed molts are one of the common husbandry problems. Food should be live prey of appropriate size, not wild insects from pesticide-treated areas. Breeders pair adults carefully, feed females well before introduction, and monitor ootheca incubation. Keepers should also prevent escapes, since released nonnative mantises can become part of local predator pressure.