Peruvian Shield Mantis

Peruvian Shield Mantis

Choeradodis rhombicollis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

5 Verified sightings at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park From 2019 to 2026
289 In all 13 parks
October Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Peruvian Shield Mantis

Choeradodis rhombicollis, or Peruvian shield mantis, is a species of praying mantis native to North America, Central America, and South America. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Suriname. Some specimens can have epizoite living on them.

This South American shield mantis, like the sister species in its genus, exhibit a prothorax with a widened pronotum that is shaped like a hood or a leaf. hence one of the animal's names: hooded mantis. Second, the entire body is colored different shades of green, where the ventral side is much lighter than the dorsal side of the hood and the outer wings; which cover translucent inner wings in order to enhance camouflage. Individuals of this species can exhibit other colors such as red, blue, white, and gold on the ventral side of the pronotum.

The raptorial claws of C. rhombicollis are dark green, where the inside of the coxa, femur, and tibia is golden. The femurs of the mantis exhibit large black eyespots in order to aid in threat display against predators. The legs of the mantis are relatively short, most likely to easily tuck under the abdomen... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
5 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
8 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
10 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
11 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Closest Relatives at Bastimentos Island National Marine Park

No species of the same family or order lives in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Peruvian Shield Mantis in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Shield Mantis sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 52 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Peruvian Shield Mantis in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park?

July–August and October

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Shield Mantis in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–June, September and November–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Peruvian Shield Mantis?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Peruvian Shield Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Where does the Peruvian Shield Mantis sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Peruvian Shield Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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