Mantis, also known as knife mantis, is an invertebrate, belonging to Mantidae, a winged subclass of Insecta. It is a medium to large insect with a triangular head and free movement, and a large and bright compound eye. Antennas are slender; The neck can rotate freely. Leg joints and tibiae joints of the forefoot are prickly, and the tibiae joints are sickle-shaped, and often folded to the leg joints to form the forefoot that can catch prey; The anterior wing cortex is covered with wings, lacking the anterior domain, the posterior wing is membranous, the gluteal domain is developed and fan-shaped, and it is folded on the back at rest; Abdominal hypertrophy. Except in extremely cold regions, it is widely distributed all over the world, especially in tropical regions. About 1585 species are known in the world. About 5 1 species is known in China. Among them, the southern big knife mantis, the northern big knife mantis, the broad axe mantis, the Chinese big knife mantis, the European mantis and the green spotted mantis are the important natural enemies of pests in agriculture, forestry, fruit trees and ornamental plants in China. Mantis is long, mostly green, but also brown or spotted. The compound eye is prominent, with 3 monocular eyes. Chewing mouthparts, the palate is strong. The forefoot catches the foot, and the middle and hind feet are suitable for walking. Gradually abnormal. Eggs are laid in the egg sheath, and there are 20 ~ 40 eggs per 1 egg sheath, arranged in 2 ~ 4 rows. Each female can produce 4 ~ 5 egg sheaths, which are hardened by foam-like secretions and adhere to branches, bark, walls and other objects. The newly hatched nymph is a "pre-nymph", and it will become an adult only after peeling for 3 ~12 times. Generally 1 year 1 generation, some species parthenogenesis. Carnivorous, hunting all kinds of insects and small animals, can eliminate many pests in fields and forest areas, so it is beneficial. Sexual cruelty and aggression, lack of food often have the phenomenon of swallowing small food and female eating male. Individual species distributed in South America can attack small animals such as birds, lizards or frogs from time to time. Mantis has protective color, and some of them are mimicry, which is similar to its environment, so as to prey on a variety of pests.

The chest has 2 pairs of wings and 3 pairs of feet; The front chest is slender, the front foot is 1, which is a sickle-shaped catching foot, and there are hooked thorns on the leg joints and tibiofibular joints to catch pests, so it is a beneficial insect. The base of the hind foot has an auditory organ. Females have greater appetite, food intake and catching ability than males, and sometimes they can eat males. The female lays eggs in a special way, neither underground nor in plant stems, but on the surface of branches. Two days after copulation, females usually face down, first discharging foam-like substances from the abdomen, and then laying eggs on it in turn. The foam-like substances quickly solidify and form a hard egg sheath. The traditional Chinese medicine in the egg sheath is called "Ootheca Mantidis" or "Ootheca Mantidis". In the early summer of the following year, hundreds of nymphs hatched from the egg sheath. Nymphs molt several times and develop into adults. For an incomplete pervert. The common Chinese green mantis (Paraten-odera sinensis), commonly known as "broadsword mantis", is about 8 cm long, green or yellow-brown; Statilia maculata is 5 ~ 6.5 cm long and is grayish brown or dark brown.

Feeding and its value

First, artificial high-efficiency large-scale feeding technology

At present, there are more than 30 kinds of mature artificial feeding techniques.

Collection of provenance: Many kinds of mantis spend the winter on branches, trunks, grass stems, walls or stones with eggs. Generally, egg collection can be started from September to February of the following year. When picking eggs, choose high-quality and healthy eggs with large egg mass, thick surface protective layer and strong luster, and no break, abrasion or holes eaten by parasitic insects outside the egg mass, cut off a section of the adhered branches of the egg mass and insert them into a jar with a little water. Before the eggs in the incubation sheath begin to hatch (before the temperature rises to 20℃), preparations should be made before feeding.

Feeding insects: Mantis belongs to predatory insects, and likes to catch live insects, especially small insects in motion. If there are no live nymphs, it is difficult to raise them successfully. Therefore, before mantis eggs are hatched, live insect feed, such as aphids and houseflies, should be prepared. Aphids are extremely fertile and easy to raise. Cruciferae plants can be planted in flower pots or small plastic beds in advance, and after emergence, they can be inoculated with aphids for breeding. Other feed insects include the big wax moth, corn borer, cabbage butterfly, Eupolyphaga, Tenebrio molitor and so on.

Artificial ingredients: After 3rd instar, mantis nymphs eat a large amount of food, so it is difficult to meet the needs with limited live bait. Therefore, artificial feed must be prepared. Here are three successful artificial feed formulas:

Formula 1: firstly, pour 250ml of clean water into a container, take a small amount of water, mash 5g of yeast slices and put them into water for dissolution, then pour 50g of egg yolk, 20g of honey and 20g of sucrose, stir them thoroughly and evenly, put them into a pot for boiling, and cool them for later use.

Formula 2: Clean and chop100g fresh pig liver (other animal livers can also be used) into paste, add 50g sucrose and mix well for later use.

Formula 3: water 100 ml, fresh pig liver 40 g, aphid powder 20 g, bean powder 5 g, sucrose 20 g, agar 20 g, yeast tablet 1 g.

When using the above three formulas, great attention should be paid to sanitation and disinfection. After the prepared feed is cooled, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time and taken as needed. If it is raised in large quantities, it is best to prepare it every other day according to the dosage.

Feeding management: Mantis has the habit of killing each other, so it is difficult to keep them in captivity artificially. Outdoor use 12 m× 6 m× 2 m to raise, transplant and plant short trees, cotton and other barriers in the cage for mantis to inhabit, reduce contact opportunities and avoid killing each other. At the same time, feed with artificial paste feed. The Institute of Entomology of Shandong Agricultural University feeds mantis with feed insects Tenebrio molitor larvae and flies, which can complete the growth and lay eggs.

Environmental control: artificially cultivate out of season, break dormancy, simulate temperature and humidity, artificially create natural conditions, and illuminate 250 watts of infrared rays and ultraviolet rays every day.

Harvesting and processing: harvesting from autumn to next spring. Cleaning impurities after harvest, soaking or steaming in boiling water for 30-40 minutes to kill the eggs in the egg sheath, steaming thoroughly, drying in the sun or oven drying to obtain the traditional Chinese medicine ootheca mantidis for later use or sale. Attention must be paid to killing the eggs, otherwise the efficacy will be reduced and the quality will be affected after hatching the larvae.

Processing: clean protozoa, mix well with 2%-5% salt solution, moisten, steam for 2 hours, take out, dry in the sun or fry with slow fire.

Second, economic utilization

Medicinal value: ootheca mantidis is the egg sheath of mantis insects. Ootheca mantidis contains 18 kinds of amino acids, 8 of which are essential for human body, and 7 kinds of phospholipids. Ootheca mantidis has anti-micturition frequency and astringent effects. Phospholipids can alleviate atherosclerosis, and promote the development of red blood cells and the synthesis of other cell membranes. Ootheca Mantidis is sweet, salty, warm and nontoxic, and enters the liver and kidney meridians. It has the functions of tonifying kidney, strengthening yang, consolidating semen and reducing urine. Indications include enuresis, nocturnal emission, frequent defecation, lumbago due to kidney deficiency and neurasthenia, and is also suitable for women with leukorrhagia and irregular menstruation. The market price of ootheca mantidis has reached 60-80 yuan/kg.

Besides ootheca mantidis, mantis can also be used as medicine, that is, dried adult mantis can be used as medicine. Mantis has the functions of nourishing and strengthening the body, invigorating kidney and essence, and arresting convulsion. Indications are impotence, nocturnal emission, infantile convulsion, enuresis, hemorrhoids and neurasthenia. Clinical application is mainly compatible with other drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Biocontrol value: Mantis can prey on more than 40 kinds of pests, such as small insects such as eggs, larvae, naked pupae and adults of flies, mosquitoes, locusts, bittersweets, moths and butterflies, and large insects such as cicadas and locusts.

Edible value: Mantis is a kind of nutritious high protein edible insect.

Ornamental value: Through artificial anti-season cultivation, people can enjoy mantis all year round. Mantis is also a good material for building small zoos and wild insect gardens.

Mantis broadsword

Tenodera aridifolia Stoll, mantis with broadsword

English name: Chinese mantid

Belongs to Mantdae of Mantodea Mantidae in mantodea.

Body length is 70- 100 mm, large, all green or brown. The head is triangular and the antennae are short.

Mantodea insects, commonly known as mantis, broadsword mantis and axe-refusing, are relatively old insects, and their morphological structure is almost similar to that of fossil mantis 40 million years ago. Mantis is often mimetic and protective, with green leaves, dead leaves, flowers or bamboo joints and so on. Mantis is a perverted insect. Eggs are called oodles, and those produced in mulberry trees are called oodles, which can be used as medicine. Mantis is carnivorous, fierce and aggressive, with a wide range of feeding and a large appetite. It preys on many pests in agriculture and forest areas and is the natural enemy of many pests.

Distribution: All over China.

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Mantis in mating

In 1984, two scientists, E.Liske and W.J.Davis, also observed the mating of mantis in the laboratory, but made some improvements: they fed mantis in advance, dimmed the lights, and let mantis enjoy himself. Instead of watching, people used cameras to record it. The result was unexpected: in thirty mating, there was no cannibal. On the contrary, they recorded the complicated courtship ceremony of Mantis for the first time: the male and female danced, and the whole process was as short as 10 minutes and as long as two hours. Risk and Davis believe that one of the reasons why people have frequently observed mantis eating husbands in the laboratory before is that under the condition of direct observation, mantis who lost "privacy" has no chance to hold courtship ceremony, which can eliminate the malice of female mantis and is necessary for male mantis to mate successfully. Another reason is that the mantis fed in the laboratory is often hungry, and the female mantis is hungry and treats her husband as delicious food. In order to prove this reason, Liske and Davis did a series of experiments in 1987. They found that those female mantises who are in a state of high hunger (they have been hungry for 5 to 1 1 day) pounce on the male mantis to eat, and have no intention of copulation at all. A female mantis who is moderately hungry (hungry for 3 to 5 days) will have copulation, but will try to eat her spouse during or after copulation. While those females who are not hungry don't want to eat their mates. It can be seen that the main motive of female mantis eating husband is because of hunger. But in the wild, not all females can eat their stomachs, so it is still possible to eat their husbands. In 1992, S.E.Lawrence conducted the first large-scale field study on the mating behavior of European mantis in Portugal. About 3 1% of the mantis mating phenomenon he observed occurred husband-eating behavior. In the wild, the female mantis is probably moderately hungry. Eating the male mantis is indeed beneficial to the offspring of mantis. 1988 A study showed that the number of offspring of female mantis who ate their spouse was 20% more than that of those who didn't. Riske and Davis also admitted that the phenomenon of eating husbands in European mantis may be far more common than other mantis, and they gave mantis a bad name. However, it is obvious that the male mantis was not eaten willingly.

About two years ago, the United States published an advanced textbook entitled Sex and Death: An Introduction to Biological Philosophy. This book introduces and discusses very specialized biological philosophical issues such as "evolution" and "genes", which have nothing to do with sex and death. Why did you use such a topic? The author explained that "because this topic is very interesting" and "the biological world is wonderful and eccentric, at least more eccentric than we can imagine." In fact, the author can say more clearly: because sex and death are eternal themes in biology, just as love and death are eternal themes in literary works.

Asexual creatures can live forever by constant division, but sexual creatures will die. Sex is the resistance to death and the beginning of a new life. These two opposing forces can sometimes combine strangely. For example, the so-called "sexual cannibalism" can sometimes be observed in arachnids and insects, that is, before and after mating, or even during mating, the female eats the mating male. The most famous example is mantis, of course. The first description of female mantis killing her husband appeared in the German book 1658. In 1886, an American entomologist reported to Science magazine the strange scene he saw in the laboratory that the female mantis ate the male mantis's head before mating, but the headless male mantis still managed to finish mating, which was probably the first scientific document about this phenomenon. Later, Fabres also described the mantis killing her husband in Insects:

"However, in fact, mantis even has the habit of eating her husband. This is really amazing! When eating her husband, the female mantis will bite her husband's head and neck and then eat it bit by bit. In the end, all that remained was her husband's two thin wings. This is unbelievable. " From this description, we don't know whether Fabres saw it with his own eyes, or whether he was just relaying a recognized fact. In any case, with the popularity of Insect, the notoriety of female mantis "killing husband" (or, more precisely, "eating husband") and the reputation of male mantis "double suicide" are well known. Biologists even try to demonstrate the rationality of "eating husbands".

Some say that female mantis needs a lot of energy to lay eggs, and the meat of male mantis is an excellent energy source. The decapitated male mantis can mate, which has been confirmed by experiments, because the nerve that controls mating is not in the head, but in the abdomen. Moreover, because some nerve suppression centers are located in the head, eating the head will help to enhance the male's sexual ability. It's hard for the male mantis not to die.

However, few people have observed the female mantis eating the husband in the wild. The mantis we are talking about is the general name of a large class of insects (mantodea, an order under Insecta), including more than 500 species of mantis with different morphology and ecology. Most species of mantis have not been observed to eat their husbands. This reputation is mainly attributed to two widely distributed species of mantis: Tenodera aridifolia sinensis in China and Mantis religiosa in Europe.

And the above two kinds of mantis don't necessarily eat their husbands. Scientists have found that those female mantises who are in a state of high hunger (have been hungry for 5 to 1 1 day) pounce on the male mantis to eat, and have no intention of copulation at all. A female mantis who is moderately hungry (hungry for 3 to 5 days) will have copulation, but will try to eat her spouse during or after copulation. While those females who are not hungry don't want to eat their mates.

However, the phenomenon of eating husbands reported by researchers is observed in the laboratory. Under such conditions, frightened animals often behave abnormally. Is this really the case in the natural state? Is this really a cannibalism related to reproduction, or is it a cannibalism purely to feed the stomach? No one denies that mantis does kill each other, and the much smaller male mantis can easily become the victim of female mantis. The question is whether this has reproductive significance.