Empusidae

Definition

A family of mantises (order Mantodea) distinguished by exceptional plant mimicry, elongate prothoraxes, and often ornate cephalic extensions. Empusidae comprises two subfamilies—Empusinae and Blepharodinae—and roughly 10 genera distributed primarily across Africa, with extensions into southern Europe and Southeast Asia. Unlike many mantis groups, the family is recovered as monophyletic in phylogenetic analyses. Members are sit-and-wait ambush predators with raptorial forelegs and chewing mouthparts specialized for capturing arthropod and small vertebrate prey.

Etymology

From Empusa, the type genus (named for the Greek mythological shape-shifting phantom Empusa), + -idae, the standard suffix for family-ranked taxa in zoological nomenclature.

Example

The cone-headed mantis Empusa pennata, widespread in Mediterranean scrub, exemplifies Empusidae morphology with its thread-like body, petal-shaped leg lobes, and pronounced vertex cone that enhances its resemblance to dried grass stems.

Related Terms

• Mantodea
• Empusa
• Blepharodinae
• Empusinae
• plant mimicry
• cryptic coloration
• raptorial foreleg
• prothorax

Usage Notes

Empusidae is treated as a family-rank taxon under current classifications, though historical works sometimes subsumed its members within a broader Mantidae. The family's monophyly contrasts with the paraphyletic or polyphyletic status of several other traditional mantis families. Identification to Empusidae relies on the combination of elongate, often laterally compressed body form, reduced tegmina in some lineages, and distinctive head ornamentation—not on plant mimicry alone, which has evolved convergently in other mantodean lineages.