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What the sources say

Orchid MantisHymenopus coronatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Orchid Mantis profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 55 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

O’Hanlon, Holwell & Herberstein 2014

O’Hanlon, Holwell & Herberstein (2014). Pollinator Deception in the Orchid Mantis. The American Naturalist.

The page saysThe orchid mantis (*Hymenopus coronatus*) hunts by deceiving pollinators
The source saysisolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowers and capture these pollinators as prey items. After more than a century of conjecture, we provide the first experimental evidence of pollinator deception in the orchid mantisNote: 'deceiving pollinators' is the source's 'pollinator deception'; 'hunts by' is its 'capture these pollinators as prey items'
The page saysto a bee's eyes its color is indistinguishable from the flowers growing around it
The source saysthe color of H. coronatus is indistinguishable from the color of sympatric flowers for hymenopteran pollinatorsNote: 'hymenopteran pollinators' narrowed to bees (Science News: 'computer models that simulate what colors bees actually see'); 'sympatric' = growing in the same area
The page saysIn field tests, isolated mantises attracted wild pollinators, including local bees, flies and butterflies, at an even higher rate than real flowers did, then caught them as prey
The source saysField experiments show that isolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowers and capture these pollinators as prey itemsNote: the list of pollinators is the Science News claim above
The page saysA 2014 study called it a hunting strategy not documented in any other animal species
The source saysthe first description of a unique predatory strategy that has not been documented in any other animal speciesNote: a record claim, scoped to the 2014 paper that made it The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysFlower-colored to a bee's eyes, it draws in wild pollinators at a higher rate than real flowers do, then catches them
The source saysthe color of H. coronatus is indistinguishable from the color of sympatric flowers for hymenopteran pollinators. Field experiments show that isolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowers and capture these pollinators as prey itemsNote: tagline
The page saysColor that bees cannot tell apart from real flowers, drawing in wild pollinators at an even higher rate than flowers do
The source saysthe color of H. coronatus is indistinguishable from the color of sympatric flowers for hymenopteran pollinators. Field experiments show that isolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowersNote: stats.superpower; 'cannot tell apart' paraphrases 'indistinguishable ... for hymenopteran pollinators'; the draft's 'camouflage' named hiding, the opposite of luring
The page saysIt lures them in
The source saysisolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowers and capture these pollinators as prey itemsNote: FAQ 1's direct answer
The page saysA 2014 study found that, to a bee's eyes, the orchid mantis's color is indistinguishable from the color of flowers growing in the same area
The source saysthe color of H. coronatus is indistinguishable from the color of sympatric flowers for hymenopteran pollinatorsNote: The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysIn field experiments, isolated mantises attracted wild pollinators at an even higher rate than flowers did, and caught them as prey
The source saysField experiments show that isolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowers and capture these pollinators as prey items
The page saysThe researchers called it the first experimental evidence that the orchid mantis deceives pollinators, and a hunting strategy not documented in any other animal species
The source sayswe provide the first experimental evidence of pollinator deception in the orchid mantis and the first description of a unique predatory strategy that has not been documented in any other animal species
The page saysa mantis whose color bees cannot tell apart from real flowers, drawing in wild pollinators at an even higher rate than flowers do
The source saysthe color of H. coronatus is indistinguishable from the color of sympatric flowers for hymenopteran pollinators. Field experiments show that isolated mantises attract wild pollinators at a rate even higher than flowersNote: vibe.reason (task #268); replaces 'iridescent floral camouflage', which no source supports: the match is color under bee vision, and the strategy is a lure, not hiding; 'cannot tell apart' paraphrases 'indistinguishable ... for hymenopteran pollinators', the wording the reviewed superpower line already uses

Source
02

Svenson et al. 2016

Svenson et al. (2016). Selection for predation, not female fecundity, explains sexual size dimorphism in the orchid mantises. Scientific Reports.

The page saysIts middle and hind legs carry broad lobes that resemble flower petals
The source saysextremely enlarged foliaceous lobes on the middle and hind legs that resemble flower petalsNote: said of Hymenopus and Helvia; 'broad' plainly renders 'extremely enlarged foliaceous' (leaf-like)
The page saysAccording to a 2016 study, adult males and females hunt in fundamentally different ways
The source saysAdult orchid mantis males and females exhibit fundamentally different predatory strategiesNote: The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysMales rely on ambush, the hunting strategy of their ancestors, while females use aggressive mimicry
The source sayswith males relying on an ancestral ambush predatory strategy and females using aggressive crypsis (Peckhamian mimicry)Note: Peckhamian mimicry is the standard synonym of aggressive mimicry; the clause after it on the page is a definition
The page saysLarge pollinating insects are protected by their size from most predators that hunt on flowers
The source sayslarge pollinators, otherwise protected by their size, maintain their typical foraging behaviour, being an unavailable resource for most flower-associated predatorsNote: used in the body and FAQ 2
The page saysthe study concluded that females in this family line grew much bigger to catch them, not to have more offspring
The source saysthe larger the female, the greater the number of offspring ... SSD has been driven by female gigantism in response to selective pressures imposed by predatory success rather than fecundityNote: 'family line' = the paper's 'lineage of flower-associated praying mantises'; 'offspring' is its own gloss of fecundity; 'to catch them' is 'predatory success', and the preceding claim names the prey
The page saysMales stayed small and mobile, which helps them find mates
The source saysMale flower mantises, however, remained small and mobile to facilitate mate-finding and reproductive successNote: used in the body and FAQ 2
The page saysThe authors knew of no other praying mantis species whose females are more than twice the size of males
The source saysTo our knowledge, no other praying mantis species exhibits female size greater than twice that of malesNote: used in the body and FAQ 2; 'no other' kept with the authors' 'to our knowledge' and the study's 2016 date
The page saysA 2016 study concluded that females in this family line grew much bigger to catch prey, not to have more offspring
The source saysthe larger the female, the greater the number of offspring ... SSD has been driven by female gigantism in response to selective pressures imposed by predatory success rather than fecundityNote: The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysbigger females gained access to them as a new food source
The source saysSedentary female flower mantises dramatically increased in size prior to a transition from camouflaged, ambush predation to a floral simulation strategy, gaining access to, and visually attracting, a novel resource: large pollinating insects

Source
03

Mizuno et al. 2014

Mizuno et al. (2014). “Double-Trick” Visual and Chemical Mimicry by the Juvenile Orchid MantisHymenopus coronatusused in Predation of the Oriental HoneybeeApis cerana. Zoological Science.

The page saysYoung orchid mantises, called nymphs, already look like flowers, but researchers doubted that looks alone could make them better hunters
The source saysthe flower-like appearance of the juvenile orchid mantis is used as visual camouflage to capture flower-visiting insects, although it is doubtful whether such morphological resemblance alone could increase their success in hunting
The page saysYoung orchid mantises already look like flowers, but researchers doubted that looks alone could make them better hunters
The source saysthe flower-like appearance of the juvenile orchid mantis is used as visual camouflage to capture flower-visiting insects, although it is doubtful whether such morphological resemblance alone could increase their success in huntingNote: FAQ 3's wording of the blockquote's opening
The page saysThe juveniles' mandibles (jaws) carry two chemicals
The source saysthe mantes' mandibular adducts contained 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid (3HOA) and 10-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid (10HDA)Note: used in the blockquote and FAQ 3
The page saysthat are also part of the oriental honeybee's pheromone
The source saysboth of which are also features of the pheromone communication of the oriental honeybeeNote: used in the blockquote and FAQ 3; the blockquote's 'the chemical signals bees use to talk to each other' defines pheromone
The page says3-hydroxyoctanoic acid and 10-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid
The source says3-hydroxyoctanoic acid (3HOA) and 10-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid (10HDA)
The page saysThe researchers detected one of them in the air only while a juvenile was trying to catch prey
The source saysWe also successfully detected 3HOA emitted in the head space air only at the time when the juvenile mantes were attempting to capture their preyNote: used in the blockquote and FAQ 3
The page saysin a field test honeybees mostly chose to visit dummies dosed with the right mix of both
The source saysField bioassay showed that the Oriental Honeybee predominantly preferred to visit dummies impregnated with a mixture of the appropriate amounts and ratios of 3HOA and 10HDANote: used in the blockquote and FAQ 3
The page saysIn a 2014 study, juvenile females often caught oriental honeybees, while adult females often failed
The source saysWe confirmed that juvenile female orchid mantes often succeed in capturing oriental honeybees, while adult females often failNote: The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysPartly with chemistry
The source saysWe therefore conclude that the juvenile mantes utilize these as allelochemicals to trick and attract oriental honeybeesNote: 'partly' because the same abstract credits the flower-like look as the other half of the trick

Source
04

Zhao et al. 2024

Zhao et al. (2024). Petal-shaped femoral lobes facilitate gliding in orchid mantises. Current Biology.

The page saysThe petal-shaped lobes on its legs made the orchid mantis a textbook example of flower mimicry for about 200 years
The source saysOrchid mantises (Hymenopus coronatus) have been traditionally considered a textbook example of flower mimicry for ∼200 years due to their highly expanded, petal-shaped femoral lobes
The page saysevidence suggests they do not help it lure pollinators
The source saysObservational and experimental evidence suggests that these lobes do not contribute to flower mimicry for luring pollinatorsNote: the 2024 paper's summary of earlier work (its refs 6 and 7); 'suggests' kept
The page saysA 2024 study found another job for them: orchid mantises escape by jumping, and their nymphs are excellent gliders, with the shallowest glides observed in any land-dwelling invertebrate
The source saysAfter observing their aerial escape initiated with active jumping ... orchid mantis nymphs are excellent gliders, exhibiting the shallowest gliding trajectories observed in terrestrial invertebrates ... play a vital role in the aerodynamic underpinning of the observed glidingNote: a record claim, scoped to the 2024 study that made it; 'another job' is the lobes' 'vital role' in gliding, after the sentence before it cites evidence against a luring role. The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysOrchid mantises escape by jumping, and a 2024 study found their nymphs are excellent gliders, with the shallowest glides observed in any land-dwelling invertebrate
The source saysAfter observing their aerial escape initiated with active jumping ... orchid mantis nymphs are excellent gliders, exhibiting the shallowest gliding trajectories observed in terrestrial invertebratesNote: FAQ 4's wording of the body claim The year is the reference's own publication year.
The page saysIts nymphs (young mantises) can
The source saysorchid mantis nymphs are excellent gliders
The page sayscambered airfoils, curved surfaces that work like wings: they add about 36 percent to the area of the mantis's outline and play a vital role in its gliding
The source saysThe lobe extensions on their femoral segments are cambered airfoils, which increase the mantis projected area by ∼36% and play a vital role in the aerodynamic underpinning of the observed glidingNote: used in the body and FAQ 4; 'area of the mantis's outline' plainly renders 'projected area'
The page saysDespite a 165-fold increase in body mass as they grow, older female nymphs could still glide
The source saysDespite a 165-fold increase in body mass throughout ontogeny, older female mantis nymphs maintained a persistent gliding capabilityNote: used in the body and FAQ 4; the draft's 'just as well' compared glides the source does not compare
The page saysThe researchers called it the first documented case of gliding "leg wings" in a wingless arthropod
The source saysThis is the first documentation of gliding-adapted “leg wings” in a wingless arthropodNote: used in the body and FAQ 4; a 'first' claim, scoped to the researchers who made it

Source
05

Zhao, Liu & Chen 2022

Zhao, Liu & Chen (2022). The orchid mantis exhibits high ontogenetic colouration variety and intersexual life history differences. Research Square.

The page saysIn an 11-year survey in and around a tropical botanical garden in Yunnan, China
The source saysThe records for 11 years (2011-2021) of field observations were collected in and around Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG, 21º 55' N, 101º 16' E, 1125 hm 2 in area), Yunnan, China
The page saysresearchers logged 54 records
The source saysFifty-four orchid mantis records were collected in total (52 were inside XTBG and two were outside but within 3 km from XTBG). The 54 records included one ootheca, two first instars, 39 flower-like juveniles (second instars to the last instar nymphs) and 12 adults (10 females and 2 males)Note: the count only; the draft's 'extremely low' and 'just' were the source's hedged 'suggested', so both are gone
The page saysonly two of those mantises were on flowers
The source saysOnly two individuals were recorded on flowers
The page saysThe survey suggested it mainly stays on backgrounds such as green leaves, where its body color stands out
The source saysThis suggested that the orchid mantis mainly stayed on the background, such as green plant leaves, which highly contrasted with its body colourNote: 'stands out' renders 'highly contrasted with its body colour'
The page saysThe same team reared orchid mantises in a lab at the garden
The source sayswe reared 428 orchid mantises ... in the laboratory (located at XTBG)
The page saysinside the species' natural range
The source saysour laboratory was located within the natural distribution region of the orchid mantis
The page says91 reached adulthood with complete records
The source says91 reared individuals (38 females and 53 males) were included, as they reached adulthood and had complete data records
The page saysAfter their final molt into adults, females weighed about 1.4 grams on average and males about 0.24 grams, less than a fifth as much
The source saysbody weights after the last moult (female: 1367.00 ± 281.00 mg; male: 241.00 ± 46.00 mg; P < 0.001)Note: lab-reared means (the paragraph opens 'in a lab'): 1367 mg = about 1.4 g, 241 mg = about 0.24 g; 241/1367 = 0.176, so 'less than a fifth' (the draft's 'roughly a fifth' overstated it). The last moult is the one to maturity: the same sentence counts 'moults to maturity'
The page saysIn the lab, females lived an average of 192 days and males 138 days
The source sayslifespans (female: 192.00 ± 28.80 days; male: 138.00 ± 37.50 days; P < 0.001)
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source sayshad an extremely low wild population abundanceNote: GBIF's copy of the Red List returns {"category":"NOT_EVALUATED","scientificName":"Hymenopus coronatus Olivier, 1792","code":"NE"} for usage key 1406471 (https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/1406471/iucnRedListCategory), checked 2026-09-14, and neither the prefetch nor Crossref has an assessment DOI. No cached source states a conservation status, so this cites the reference that best supports the species' own identity and rarity instead (GBIF itself is not cited: its API returns bare JSON with no page a reader can open).
The page sayssouthern China
The source saysThe records for 11 years (2011-2021) of field observations were collected in and around Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG, 21&ordm; 55' N, 101&ordm; 16' E, 1125 hm 2 in area), Yunnan, China ... our laboratory was located within the natural distribution region of the orchid mantisNote: stats.habitat; XTBG sits at 21°55' N, in the far south of Yunnan, and the same source's rainfall data come from its 'Station for Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem Studies'
The page saysmainly on green leaves rather than flowers
The source saysOnly two individuals were recorded on flowers. This suggested that the orchid mantis mainly stayed on the background, such as green plant leavesNote: stats.habitat; 'rather than flowers' is the count (2 of 54 records on flowers) set against 'mainly stayed on the background, such as green plant leaves'

Source
06

Science News 2013

A corsage that bites. Science News, 2013.

The page saysincluding local bees, flies and butterflies
The source sayswhen researchers set orchid mantises out in the forest, local bees, flies and butterflies flew fatally closeNote: the list of pollinators the forest test drew, from Science News; 'In field tests' is its 'when researchers set orchid mantises out in the forest'
The page saysAfter searching Malaysian rainforests, researcher James O'Hanlon said, "As far as we can tell, they're fantastically rare."
The source saysHe and his colleagues began scouring Malaysian rainforests for wild orchid mantises ... As far as we can tell, they’re fantastically rareNote: 'After searching' paraphrases the article's sequence: 'began scouring Malaysian rainforests', then his quote; the quote keeps his 'as far as we can tell'
The page saysRainforests of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia
The source saysHe and his colleagues began scouring Malaysian rainforests for wild orchid mantisesNote: stats.habitat; 'Southeast Asia' is its own claim below
The page saysWild bees, flies and butterflies, lured in as prey
The source sayslocal bees, flies and butterflies flew fatally close. The mantises, in fact, attracted more pollinators than real flowers didNote: stats.diet

Source
07

National Geographic 2016

Praying Mantis Looks Like a Flower: And Now We Know Why. National Geographic, 2016.

The page saysarthropod, the group that includes insects and spiders
The source saysarthropods, the group that includes spiders and insects
The page saysSoutheast Asia
The source saysa Southeast Asian insect that masquerades as a flower to attract preyNote: stats.habitat

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.