 Gonatista grisea (Grizzled Mantid) - imm. | It's March and my black truck is covered by a thick layer of yellow pollen. Nonetheless, I spotted this curious, little mantid. Also known as Florida Bark Mantid, this species makes its home in the Southeastern US, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica. As the latter name suggests, it is arboreal (tree dwelling), nymphs are wingless, and adults have a length of about 3.5-4 cm. bug guide (this photo): https://bugguide.net/node/view/1496971 UF: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/grizzled_mantid.html |
 Gonatista grisea (Grizzled Mantid) ♂. | And here is an adult male of the Grizzled Mantid. It was really one of the biggest insects that I have seen in my yard but it sat rather peacefully near our porch light and looked at me. This mantid species is mottled gray, green and brown. Its overall shape is broad and flattened. The pronotum does not narrow ahead of the place where the front legs are attached. Females have short wings, whereas in males at rest the wings cover the abdomen. bug guide (this photo): https://bugguide.net/node/view/1585612 UF: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/grizzled_mantid.html |