Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp vs Chinese Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp Chinese Mantis
Scientific Name Chrysis fulgida Tenodera sinensis
Order Hymenoptera Mantodea
Family Chrysididae Mantidae
Size 7-12 mm 80-110 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Parasites Predators
Regions Central Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe Asia, North America (introduced)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Gold-tailed Ruby Wasp

A dazzling metallic wasp with a bright green head and thorax and a golden-red abdomen. It is a brood parasite of potter wasps and mason wasps.

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Did You Know?

Its armoured exoskeleton is so tough that host wasps cannot sting through it.

Chinese Mantis

One of the largest mantis species in North America (introduced). An ambush predator with remarkable binocular vision. Females sometimes cannibalize males after or during mating.

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Did You Know?

Praying mantises are the only insects that can turn their heads 180 degrees to look over their shoulders — giving them a nearly full field of vision for hunting.