Trying to identify this praying mantis for a short film. It's found on the wild cosmos flower. It's found when the flower is in bloom at this time of year (February) in Harare, Zimbabwe.
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1 Answer
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This appears to be a species of Sub-Saharan flower mantis in the genus Pseudocreobotra.
Specifically, it resembles the spiny flower mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi.
The species gets its name from the spiny structures on its abdomen. According to Wikipedia, the color is variable:
being typically greenish, but it can equally be yellowish, pinkish or reddish
According to here, you can determine the sex of your specimen by counting the "abdominal appendages" (i.e., spikes):
females have just 5 abdominal-appendages on the underside, however males have 6
This might also be P. ocellata, which would be able to be distinguished from P. wahlbergi based on its smaller adult size [source].
answered Feb 27, 2018 at 1:16
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1$\begingroup$ That's fantastic, thank you so much for the identification. I will be sure to send you the short clip when completed. Many thanks from Zimbabwe $\endgroup$ Feb 27, 2018 at 8:25
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$\begingroup$ No problem @WildZimbo. Don't forget to click the checkmark to indicate the answer as "accepted" if you're satisfied. Thanks! $\endgroup$ Feb 27, 2018 at 19:12