Iris oratoria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Iris oratoria, known by the common name Mediterranean mantis (or less frequently iris mantis), due to humans first studying it in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, is a species of praying mantis. Its range is expanding in the Middle East, Western Asia and the United States.
Albania, Bulgaria, Brač Island, Korčula Island, France (Including Corsica), Greece (Including Ionian Islands, Crete, Cyclades Islands), Italy (Including Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Portugal, Spain (Including Balearic Islands), Yugoslavia (Including Serbia, Kosovo, Voivodina, Montenegro), North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, North Chad), Cyprus, West, Central and South Asia (Asian Turkey, India, Israel, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Turkestan), Non-native to the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas.).
I. oratoria is very pale when young but matures to grass green, and grows to about 6.5 cm (2.6 in) long. The species may be distinguished from Mantis religiosa and other mantids with which it shares a range and general size and shape by the red-orange spot on the ventral side of the fourth (second to last) abdominal... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Mantis sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 292nd most-seen of the 693 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Mantis in San Diego on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mediterranean Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
15th of 15
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Mediterranean Mantis sightings, San Diego ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 30%), Ciudad Juárez (México, about 30%) and Phoenix (United States, about 20%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the Mediterranean Mantis that you can see in San Diego (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Arizona Mantis (about 10%) and Carolina Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mediterranean Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (22 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.
