Miomantis caffra
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Miomantis caffra (common name: springbok mantis) is a species of praying mantis native to Southern Africa. It was first detected in New Zealand in 1978, and was found more recently in Portugal and Los Angeles, USA. Females are facultatively parthenogenetic and unmated females can produce viable offspring.
The ootheca (egg case) of M. caffra is 12–30 mm long with rounded sides, soft creamy-brown, fawn or beige with a terminal handle-like extension. Hatching is not synchronised, and nymphs may emerge over a period of weeks or even over two seasons. Refrigeration of ootheca in the exotic pet trade can delay their hatching.
The oothecae are extremely hardy, and can survive winter to hatch even in the far south and alpine regions of New Zealand. The nymphs are green or brown, body often longitudinally striped, limbs mottled, tip of abdomen curved upwards. Significant colour variation exists in nymphs and sub-adults, with bodies varying from pale straw-colour, bright green, and reddish brown, and legs varying from pale to almost black. Nymphs of M. caffra are cannibalistic, and will attack and eat one-another even in the presence of alternative... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Perth | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a South African Mantis sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 260 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 851 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.
June–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a South African Mantis in Los Angeles on a given day, against under 5% in January–May and November, the lowest months. Those are among Los Angeles's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 75 mm in February.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South African 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.
5th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate South African Mantis sightings, Los Angeles ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 40%), Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Cape Town (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the South African Mantis that you can see in Los Angeles (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Arizona Mantis (about 30%) and Mediterranean Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South African Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (260 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.
