Differentiation in the body color of Creobroter gemmata under red and green background at an early stage

Praying mantises ( Mantodea ) are the master of camouflage. They passively prey on any small animals that intrude their striking distance with mantises’ powerful grasping legs. Creobroter gemmate belongs to the family of flower mantis ( Hymenopodidae ), in which most species mimic flowers. Their body color consequently becomes various. Many factors can affect the body color of praying mantises, including moisture and temperature. However, there is little research showing the relation between the background color and their body color. This experiment determined the influence of background color on Creobroter gemmata ’s body color by raising nymphs in the red and green background and using image analysis. The results indicate that Creobroter gemmate will change their body color according to the background, and the differentiation is more significant in the early stages. The discovery shows how background color plays a role in insects’ development and brings forward a mechanism of insects’ camouflage, which is worth further studying.