Blue Pansy vs Wahlberg's Flower Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Pansy Wahlberg's Flower Mantis
Scientific Name Junonia orithya Pseudocreobotra amarae
Order Lepidoptera Mantodea
Family Nymphalidae Hymenopodidae
Size 40-60 mm wingspan 25-35 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos) Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue Pansy

A medium-sized butterfly with stunning bright blue hindwings bearing large eyespots and brown forewings with smaller orange-ringed ocelli. Males are more intensely blue than females.

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Did You Know?

The large eyespots on the hindwings are thought to deflect bird attacks toward the wing edge rather than the vulnerable body.

Wahlberg's Flower Mantis

A small East African flower mantis with spiny projections on its abdomen and thorax. Its coloring ranges from white to green depending on the habitat.

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Did You Know?

The thoracic spines make it one of the most heavily ornamented flower mantises in Africa.