THE PRAYING MANTIS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4171, 11 August 1939, Page 3

THE PRAYING MANTIS

INSECTS OF PREY. A reader with a bent for ornithology recently asked: “Could you toll me iif ‘praying mantis’ or ‘preying mantis’ is correct? I rather like these queer, gawky insects, which seem to be close relatives of the stick-insects, being just like long- inanimate twigs themselves. People say that they are ‘praying’ because they hold the two big front legs together, as we join our hands in prayer, but I rather think the original name was ‘preying’ mantis, because I notice that they are veritable insects of prey. They grab any passing victim and suck it to death as a spider does, while the stick insects are only leaf-eaters. A note on this matter would oblige, as one wishes to be accurate in naming things.” The enquiry was referred to a recognised authority, who has now replied: The name is “praying mantis,” not “preying.” It is one of our derived names, because the family is not exclusively an Australian one. It occurs also in Europe, where the common species is named Mantis religiosa. This should prove, I think, that “praying” was the original spelling of the vernacular name. Our mantids have the same habits of folding the spiny forelegs together, but they are pious frauds.