Dull Males; Bright, Attractive Females

False Garden Mantid
Photo: Donald Hobern

The false garden mantid, Pseudomantis albofimbriata, (pictured) is a cryptic predator that lives by stealth. The green coloration allows males and females to blend with their surroundings. The color of males and females and the brightness of the male are comparable to the surroundings. However, the brightness of the female abdomen differs from the rest of her body and the surroundings. The brightness is detectable by male mantids, but not predators that search based on differences in color.

Barry and colleagues* found that as the female matures and becomes laden with eggs, her abdomen becomes brighter and she becomes more attractive to male mantids. Artificially painting the abdomens of females increase their attractiveness to males. The males prefer to approach females from the rear to avoid being taken as prey. The brightness of the abdomen may be an important visual cue for mate finding.

*Barry & Colleagues. Sexual signals for the colour-blind: cryptic female mantids signal quality through brightness.” Functional Ecology 2015, 29, 531–539.
doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12363