Gongylus gongylodes
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Gongylus gongylodes, also known as the wandering violin mantis, ornate mantis, or Indian rose mantis, is a species of praying mantis in the family Empusidae. Characterized by extremely slender limbs with large appendages, it is not a particularly aggressive species and often kept as a pet. The mantis is especially known for swaying its body back and forth to imitate a stick flowing in the wind.
It primarily feeds on flying insects. Its native range is in southern India and Sri Lanka. It can reach up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The males of the species are capable of flight. They are a communal species, in that they are able to live and breed in large groups, without unnecessary cannibalism.
Adult females are about 10cm (3 in) and adult males are about 9 cm. Its specific name gongylodes means "roundish" in Greek, from the same word as its generic epithet Gongylus. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Violin Mantis sighting in Mumbai on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 189th most-seen of the 362 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, July–September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Violin Mantis in Mumbai on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–June and October, the lowest months. Those are among Mumbai's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain a month against almost none in January.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Wandering Violin Mantis sightings, Mumbai ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Salem (India, about 20%), Ponnani (India, about 10%) and Chennai (India, about 10%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the Wandering Violin Mantis that you can see in Mumbai (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Hierodula tenuidentata (about 10%) and Asian Ant Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wandering Violin Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Mumbai (14 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.
