The orchid mantis exhibits high ontogenetic colouration variety and intersexual life history differences

Abstract

Abstract Masquerade, the resemblance of animals to inedible or inanimate objects, exists universally throughout the animal kingdom, especially in arthropods. However, masquerade has received little attention from biologists and is often misinterpreted as mimicry by the public and even by scientists, as a consequence of the lack of systematic biological information for any masquerader. Therefore, using the orchid mantis Hymenopus coronatus (Insecta: Mantodea), a classic masquerader, as the study species, we first analysed its abundance, life cycle, microhabitats, colour morph diversity and key environmental factors that may affect its life cycle, based on 11 years (2011–2021) of field investigations. The results showed that the orchid mantis a) had an extremely low wild population abundance; b) exhibited four main colour morphs (white, pink, purple and yellow); c) did not coexist with any specific plant or flower; d) had a reproductive period from May to August and a nymph developmental period from September to April; and e) may adapt to local seasonal fluctuations of temperature and precipitation throughout its life cycle. Second, we recorded its life history, colour morph flexibility and intersexual variation under laboratory conditions. The results indicated that 1) its colour morph with high flexibility exists among and within different life stages; and 2) the two sexes can be remarkably differentiated in development, lifespan and body weight. This study is the first systematic investigation of a masquerader; its results should be useful for ecologists and evolutionary biologists to interpret the adaptation and evolution of masquerade.