Description

• Liturgusa maya is a small, flattened bark mantis in the family Liturgusidae. It has a broad, somewhat triangular head, long slender legs, strongly spined raptorial forelegs, and a flattened body adapted to living against tree trunks. Its brown, grey, and mottled colouring provides excellent camouflage against bark and lichen.

Range

• Liturgusa maya is a Mesoamerican species occurring in Mexico and Central America. Its Mexican distribution is associated primarily with tropical regions, and it may be encountered in suitable forested habitats in southern and western Mexico.

Habitat

• It inhabits tropical and subtropical forest, woodland, and forest edges, where it is closely associated with tree trunks, branches, and other vertical surfaces. It is particularly well adapted to remaining motionless against bark and moving rapidly around trunks when disturbed.

Diet

• Liturgusa maya is an active predator of small arthropods, particularly flies, moths, beetles, true bugs, and other insects. It stalks or ambushes prey on tree surfaces, capturing them with its spined forelegs.