I will do a full blog on the many different mantids that we have here in Hong Kong later in the year, but for now, I would like to share a couple of pictures of the Nymphs.
This young one was in my back garden in SaiKung.
A mantis goes through three stages of development: egg (which we say yesterday), nymph and adult.
The nymphs hatch throughout the year, but not in winter, waiting for spring, when they emerge as a nymph, resembling a miniature adult, except without wings. They develop into an adult by molting, shedding their skin, often doing this by hanging upside down. As an adult, my lifespan is less than a year.
As you can see this Nymph is completely different in shape and colouration....and he has just seen his lunch!
