Cliff Tiger Beetle vs Conehead Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cliff Tiger Beetle Conehead Mantis
Scientific Name Cicindela germanica Empusa pennata
Order Coleoptera Mantodea
Family Carabidae Empusidae
Size 9-12 mm 47-65 mm
Habitat Farmland Heathland
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe, from Britain to Central Asia Europe, Africa
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Cliff Tiger Beetle

A small, dark green tiger beetle with faint pale markings found on exposed clay and chalk slopes. It has declined severely across its European range due to habitat loss.

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Did You Know?

In Britain, it is among the rarest beetles, known from only a handful of exposed cliff sites in Wales and the English Midlands.

Conehead Mantis

A distinctive European mantis with a tall conical head crest and feathery antennae in males. Nymphs resemble small aliens with their elongated heads and stick-like bodies.

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Did You Know?

Nymphs of the conehead mantis curl their abdomen upward over their body when walking, causing them to resemble tiny scorpions to deter predators.