Empusa pennata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Empusa pennata, or the conehead mantis, is a species of praying mantis in genus Empusa native to the Mediterranean Region. It can be found in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy and on the mediterranean coasts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and Egypt. Because of its cryptic nature, or also possibly because of its fragmented, low-density populations, it is rarely encountered in the wild.
Empusa pennata generally has a large, thin body with a low mass, as well as a large pair of wings used for flight. They are mostly found in perennial herbs and scrubs. There are three ways for these insects to find mates: chemical, acoustic, and visual signals. Some predatory insects like mantises rely on cryptic colouration; they use this camouflage to protect themselves from predators and capture prey.
This species of mantis, although similar in size to the common European mantis (Mantis religiosa), is easily distinguished by the protrusion from its crown. Both males and females possess this tall extension from birth, giving them a very 'alien' appearance.
They live in dry, warm environments and use their cryptic colouring of either greens and pinks or various shades... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Conehead Mantis sighting in Lisbon on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 441 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–July and September–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Conehead Mantis in Lisbon on a given day, against under 5% in August and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mediterranean Conehead Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Mediterranean Conehead Mantis sightings, Lisbon ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Madrid (Spain, about 10%) and Barcelona (Spain, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mediterranean Conehead Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Lisbon (29 verified sightings), 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.
