According to a GLM analysis, the population of Mantis religiosa, measured from August to the end of October, declines more rapidly and is negatively influenced by the number of days from the first day of the year, while the population of Hierodula tenuidentata is influenced by local weather factors. Through this study, we reveal that the number of Hierodula tenuidentata individuals from an Eastern European Natura 2000 site was 7.6 times higher than the number of Mantis religiosa suggesting a higher density of the allochthonous species in the study area. An alien mantis species ( Hierodula tenuidentata ) could create a disequilibrium in both the local ecosystem and in autochthonous mantid species ( Mantis religiosa ) if it can adapt to the local ecological conditions. Praying mantids (Mantodea) are predatory insects with a high impact on local invertebrates’ fauna. Consistent knowledge of their ecology will allow decision makers to take suitable conservation actions, with the aim of avoiding threatening native species. Humans have traded and transported alien species for millennia, both with and without intention to spread them to new areas.

Download xenomorph mantis