Brings together all that is currently understood about their ecology, taxonomy, reproduction, sensory systems, motor behaviour, and defence strategies. Also contains a selection on rearing and breeding techniques Illustrations, including a gallery of colour images, enhance the text.
Ancient, medieval and early modern writings about mantids - shaping contemporary questions; taxonomy; population and community ecology; the ecology and foraging strategy of Tenodera angustipennis; mating behaviour; hearing; binocular vision and distance estimation; visual perception and prey recognition; flight and wing kinematics; prey capture behaviour; the hierarchical organization of mantid behaviour; ontogeny of defensive behaviour; ethology of defensive behaviour; rearing techniques, developmental time and life span data for lab-reared Sphodromantis lineola; rearing mantids for display and education; comparative aspects of breeding mantids; mantids in ecological research; histological techniques for mantid research.
Frederick R. Prete is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at DePaul University. Harrington Wells is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at University of Tulsa. Patrick H. Wells is a professor of biology, emeritus, in the Department of Biology at Occidental College. Lawrence E. Hurd is a professor and the chair in the Department of Biology at Washington and Lee University.
"The predatory and mating behavior of praying mantids has long fascinated casual observers and professional biologists. This edited volume reviews current understanding of mantid biology related to their taxonomy and morphology, reproduction, neurobiology, ecology, and defense strategies." -- Choice