Ground Mantis vs Western Banded Glowworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ground Mantis Western Banded Glowworm
Scientific Name Litaneutria minor Zarhipis integripennis
Order Mantodea Coleoptera
Family Mantidae Phengodidae
Size 15-25 mm 15-30 mm (female), 8-12 mm (male)
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America North America, Western United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ground Mantis

The smallest North American mantis, well camouflaged on dry rocky soil.

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Did You Know?

It hunts by running on the ground rather than using a typical sit-and-wait strategy.

Western Banded Glowworm

A North American glowworm beetle where the larviform female produces rows of greenish-yellow bioluminescent spots along her body segments. Males are winged with elaborate feathery antennae.

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Did You Know?

The glowing female looks like a miniature train at night, with paired lateral light organs resembling lit windows on a railcar.