Phyllocrania paradoxa, or the ghost mantis, is a very popular leaf-mimicing species that comes in an incredible array of colors; while they're often a brown or red-brown color, they can end up various shades of brown, tan, red, orange, gold, green, or even the illusive black.
Ghost mantises are generally docile and easy to handle and are incredibly charming and amusing with their funky head shapes and innocent swaying-leaf dances. They can also be very dramatic, though - when feeling very threatened, they may drop and play dead to mimic a fallen leaf!
Adult males show less color than females (typically becoming similar shades of brown regardless of their color as nymphs) but have silly, lanky crowns and iconically long, beady antennae. Adult males may be skittish and flighty, so proper cautions should be taken if handling them outside their enclosure.
🍂 Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)
• Adult Size: ~2in
• Instars: 8
• Lifespan:
⠀⠀♀️ up to 1.5+ yrs (6-12 months as adults)
⠀⠀♂️ ~7-12 mo (~2-4 months as adults)• Difficulty: Beginner
• Temperature: 70°-80°F
• Housing: Ghost mantises are hardy and can tolerate a wide range of environments. This is a medium-sized species, with nymphs of all ages able to fit in appropriately-sized deli cups. Adults can fit comfortably in small Zilla microhabitats or similarly-sized enclosures, though they may appreciate extra space; however, they don't tend to move much!
• Feeding: i2-i3 nymphs are eating Hydei fruit flies. i4-i5 nymphs are big enough to eat houseflies (i5s may be able to eat greenbottle flies) or very small roaches. i6-i7 nymphs can eat bluebottle flies, moths, or roaches. Adult males are very light eaters, but adult females can eat a decent amount of food and will be easiest to fill up with roaches.
Ghost mantises tend to prefer flying prey and can be finicky eaters. If you do not have or want flying feeders, handfeeding may be necessary to get a picky ghost mantis to eat. Read the "Feeding Picky Mantises" section of the Feeding category in the Care Guide for more information.