Bug FAQOrchid Mantis
Hymenopus coronatus · Order: Mantodea · Family: Hymenopodidae
Also called: Pink Orchard Mantis, Pink orchid mantis, Walking Flower Mantis
The orchid mantis lives in tropical Southeast Asian forests and mimics orchid flowers, with petal-like legs and a colour that shifts between pink and brown to match the background. Females are much larger than males, and the species feeds on a variety of small insects, sometimes catching relatively large prey such as butterflies.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its four walking legs look like flower petals and the front pair are toothed for grasping prey.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
It can ambush relatively large prey such as butterflies, using its toothed fore-arms and a powerful bite to capture them. Its early nymph stage mimics the appearance of Reduviid bugs, which have a strong bite and are distasteful.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
The orchid mantis is highly prized by insect breeders and is considered extremely rare and expensive. Alfred Russel Wallace described the species as rare in his 1889 work.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits tropical forests of Southeast Asia and often moves with a gentle swaying motion as if blown by the breeze.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In the wild it catches small insects like crickets, flies, beetles and even stinging insects such as bees or tiny wasps. It also preys on caterpillars and other insect larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
First-stage nymphs mimic Reduviid bugs, which are known for a painful bite and foul taste. Females have been reported to guard their eggs, showing parental care.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Its range may also extend into eastern India and Bangladesh.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do orchid mantises eat?
They feed on small insects such as crickets, flies, beetles, bees, tiny wasps, and also on caterpillars and other larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hymenopodidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.