A female juvenile orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus). Photo courtesy of James O'Hanlon Orchid mantises—particularly juveniles—seem aptly named. They’re predominantly white with pink or yellow accents ...

When is an orchid not an orchid? When it's a female orchid praying mantis, a Southeast Asian insect that masquerades as a flower to attract prey. With petal-like legs and a yellow or whitish pink ...

Is it a stunning pink orchid in bloom or a cunning predator lying in wait? The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) may look like a flower, but it’s actually an insect! It’s one of the most beautiful ...

In a study published in Current Biology, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with their collaborators, revealed a ...

James Gilbert receives funding from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme. In his 1879 account of wanderings in the Orient, the travel writer James Hingston describes how, in West Java ...

Female orchid mantis adults mimic the appearance of flowers due to their ancestors' association with flowers to capitalize on an easy source of food, pollinating insects, researchers have discovered.

In his 1879 account of wanderings in the Orient, the travel writer James Hingston describes how, in West Java, he was treated to a bizarre experience: I am taken by my kind host around his garden, and ...

These killer insects are almost indistinguishable from orchids! Many creatures wear disguises in order to keep safe from predators, but there are some that dress to kill. Orchid mantises are one of ...