A couple days ago I wrote about the cool metalmark moths that do an amazing job at mimicking the looks and mannerisms of jumping spiders. Click here if you missed that post, I promise you..you won't be disappointed!
How about another cool example of mimicry I recently heard about?
Meet Odontomantis planiceps, or the Asian ant mantis as it is commonly known.
As the name suggests, the species is best known for looking like an ant during it's early developmental stages, when it is most vulnerable to predation:
Odontomantis planiceps is a small mantis, with adult size ranging from 1.4 cm for males and 2.0 cm for females. It is commonly called the Asian ant mantis because it exhibits batesian mimicry in its juvenile stages, resembling black ants - most notably from the 1st to 3rd instar at which they are most vulnerable from predators. via wiki
Here's a video of how they look like during the "ant" stage
https://youtube.com/shorts/8OmZynCy98c?si=-Oq21DMxGvgwrPsn
And another one
And another one
Of course mantises are natural predators, so as the Asian ant mantis grows it stops relying on its mimicry:
After molting to the 4th instar and up to its ultimate molt, they are mostly green with some variation in color depending on the vegetation in which they reside. via wiki
Here's a video of an adult specimen
https://youtube.com/shorts/w3f4QCR9Ln0?si=ObOp39GCcjaHwMpW
Now, here's something else I learnt today when writing this post. There's actually a work to describe ant mimicry. It's called myrmecomorphy. Lol, what a word word 🐜
Many types of insects mimic ants, from phasmids to katydid, spiders, flies, beetles and praying mantis. Insects mimic ants as a protective mechanism, a form of Batesian mimicry. Birds and other large insects tend to avoid ants as prey as they tend to be aggressive or unpleasant to taste. Ant Mimicry is called ‘myrmecomorphy’ which comes from two words myrmex (meaning ant) and morphos (meaning form). Occasional some insects mimic ants to be able to prey on ants. source
Ok, hope you enjoyed reading about yet another bizarre creature! See you soon with another wonder of nature 😊🐜