New Species of Praying Mantis that Hunts Like a Tiger Found in Rwanda Forest

Scientists have found a new species of praying mantis called Dystacta tigrifrutex in Rwanda's mountainous Nyungwe National Park. The newly-discovered creature hunts like a tiger and so is called bush tiger mantis.

Praying mantis have specialized front legs that are long and always seem to bend and resemble a prayer-like position.

The finding was a result of a string of lucky events for Case Western Reserve University scientists and colleagues. The team was conducting a regular insect survey in Rwanda when one of their traps caught a male Dystacta tigrifrutex. Later, the team found that the trap also had a female of the same species. The happy co-incidence didn't stop there and the female laid an egg.

Researchers got to study male, female and a young one of the same species in a short period of time.

According to the researchers, the female mantis catches the prey close to ground; its hunting technique resembling that of the ferocious feline, the tiger.

"We knew this mantis was special after completing nearly eight months of work to identify all the specimens found during the three week expedition," said Riley Tedrow, who is studying evolutionary biology at the Case Western Reserve University. "The new species is amazing because the fairly small female prowls through the underbrush searching for prey while the male flies and appears to live higher in the vegetation."

"The new praying mantis species was found in the high altitude rain forest region of southwestern Rwanda and probably only lives within Nyungwe National Park, which adds significant justification for protecting the park to ensure species like this can continue to exist," said Dr. Gavin Svenson, curator of invertebrate zoology at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and adjunct professor at the Case Western Reserve University.

The study is published in the journal ZooKeys.