The Malaysian orchid mantis Hymenopus coronatus mimics a flower both in body shape and coloration. Historically, it has been assumed that the orchid mantis resembles a flower and uses crypsis to hide from unsuspecting prey and predators. I have seen photographs of flower mantids blending into flowers so well they are difficult to spot. A study by O’Hanlon and colleagues* however found that the resemblance to flowers is not always used to hide among flowers. The mantid often rests on foliage and feeds on pollinators that mistake the mantid for a flower. The color of the mantid is similar to the color of common flowers. The mantid can attract more prey when it is not near a flower.
*Pollinator Deception in the Orchid Mantis. James C. O’Hanlon, Gregory I. Holwell, and Marie E. Herberstein. The American Naturalist Vol. 183, No. 1 (January 2014) , pp. 126-132.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/673858
How amazing! You never know what you’re missing when you don’t really look at something!