(Empusidae) This family includes 30 species distributed into slightly less than 10 genera. Mantis phylogeny is not clear as majority of mantis families or subfamilies are not homogenous groups. Species of this family can be so diversified and they are characterized by a very wonderful appearance mimicking, for example, the shape and colour of a lizard. However, they are also variable in size. Nymphs and adults are predators existing in the same environment and they are big consumers of other Arthropoda species. Mantis species colonized all plant families, from arid deserts to rainforests on the equator.
