Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Mantidae

Family of praying mantises

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
2 min read
Source updated May 18, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Mantidae is one of the largest families in the order of praying mantises, based on the type species Mantis religiosa; most genera are tropical or subtropical. Historically, this was the only family in the order, and many references still use the term "mantid" to refer to any mantis. Technically, however, "mantid" refers only to members of the family Mantidae, and not the numerous remaining families of mantises. Some of the most recent classifications have promoted a number of the mantid subfamilies to the rank of family, e.g. Iridopterygidae, Sibyllidae, Tarachodidae, Thespidae, and Toxoderidae, while other classifications have reduced the number of subfamilies without elevating them to higher rank.

01Subfamilies and genera

Following the major revision of the Mantodea in 2019, the Mantodea Species File includes ten subfamilies:

Choeradodinae

The Americas, Asia

Deromantinae

Africa

Hierodulinae

Africa, Asia, Australia

Mantinae

Africa, Eurasia, North America

Mellierinae

Australia

Omomantinae

Orthoderinae

Stagmomantinae

The Americas

Tenoderinae

Africa, Asia, North America

Vatinae

South America

Details of a mantis modified foreleg
Details of a mantis modified foreleg
Hierodula majuscula, just before mating
Hierodula majuscula, just before mating
Rhombomantis fusca in Thailand
Rhombomantis fusca in Thailand
Adult female Mantis religiosa
Adult female Mantis religiosa
Orthodera novaezealandiae
Orthodera novaezealandiae
Paramantis sacra
Paramantis sacra
Stagmatoptera supplicaria
Stagmatoptera supplicaria
Watch videos about MantidaeExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mantidae”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

List of mantis genera and species

The following list of mantis genera and species is based on the "Mantodea Species File", which is the primary reference for the taxonomy shown here. The insect order Mantodea consists of over 2,400 species of mantises in about 460 genera.

Flower mantis

Flower mantises are mantises that use a form of camouflage referred to as aggressive mimicry, which they use both to attract prey and to avoid predators. These insects have specific colorations and behaviors that mimic flowers in their surrounding habitats.