Sphodromantis viridis
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Sphodromantis viridis is a species of praying mantis that is kept worldwide as a pet. Its common names include African mantis, giant African mantis, and bush mantis. Sphodromantis viridis is popularly called the African mantis, but that common name is shared with not only other species in its genus (i.e. S. belachowski, S. centralis, S. gastrica, S. lineola, etc.), but also
Miomantis caffra and others, as well. Sphodromantis viridis is native to West Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It can also be found as an introduced species in areas outside its original range, including Israel and Spain.
Despite its scientific name (viridis is Latin for green) this insect ranges in color from bright green to dull brown. Females can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) in length. Sexual dimorphism is typical of mantises; the male is much smaller. Females may also be distinguished from males as they have a six-segmented abdomen compared to an eight-segmented abdomen of the male.
As adults, both sexes have a distinctive white spot on their wings. They have a yellowish color on their inner fore leg distinguishable from the black eyespot and white dots of the European mantis... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant African Mantis sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 75 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March, September and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant African Mantis in Tel Aviv on a given day, against about 20% in February, April–August, October and December, the lowest months. Those are among Tel Aviv's wettest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant 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.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Giant African Mantis sightings, Tel Aviv ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Casablanca (Morocco, about 40%) and Rabat (Morocco, about 40%).
Same order: Mantodea
The closest relatives of the Giant African Mantis that you can see in Tel Aviv (order Mantodea, Mantises) are Egyptian Praying Mantis (about 30%) and Heldreich's Dwarf Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant African Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Tel Aviv (75 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.
