A month ago I wrote about our last Tenodera sinensis praying mantis, which was still hanging in there in December long after its species’ typical life span was over.
Well, here we are in early January and he’s still alive, making him (sort of!) a biennial mantis. That’s a pretty rare thing, as they usually die off (at least here in the United States) in September and October, with a few hardy specimens hanging on into November.
Although it’s unlikely he will live long enough to see the next generation of his own species born (T. sinensis typically hatch in April or May here in California), he may yet, if he hangs in another couple of weeks, see the next generation of another local species, Mantis religiosa, which is sometimes born in January or February.
Raise a New Year’s toast to our biennial Chinese mantid — alive in two years, 2018 and 2019! Here he is “taking a bow” in the stage lights as he accepts his longevity award!
Update: This mantis lived until Jan 30, 2019.
Steven E. F. Brown 