Ghost Mantis Nymphs - Phyllocrania paradoxa - Inverted World

Phyllocrania paradoxa – Ghost Mantis

Origin: widespread across the African continent

Status: Captive Bred

Ghost mantises are an excellent beginner species and a great introduction to keeping mantises!

The Ghost Mantis is considered a miniature species of mantis, growing to around 5cm long. Nymphs are black, resembling ants, for the 1st and 2nd instar. From the 3rd instar,, they start developing their colouration which comes in various shades of brown. An individual’s colours change between moults and their colour is also dependent on light and humidity levels. 


Housing: These mantises need an arboreal enclosure with plenty of twigs and plants to hang from. Ideally you would be looking at a 15x15x20 enclosure for an adult and it must be front opening with a mesh top as you will find they will often hang from the roof of the enclosure.

Substrate: It is best to use coco-coir and sphagnum moss or similar. The substrate should be misted regularly to help keep the enclosure humid.

Environment: These mantises can live in temperatures between 18° – 30°C, we keep ours at room temperature. The enclosure should be misted regularly with tepid water to maintain a humidity of 60 – 80%.

Feeding: Ghost Mantises are ambush predators, typically eating flying insects. Nymphs up to, and including L4, should be fed fruit flies with L5 and upwards eating green bottles, house flies and small to medium sized red runners. Feeding frequency very much depends on the mantis. Nymphs are quite voracious, but they start to eat less frequent as they mature. As with all mantises, it is best to observe the size of their abdomen, if it starts to appear flat, then they will need feeding. Ensure that all uneaten food is removed.

Additional notes: Due to the delicate nature of mantises, we at Inverted World insist that our mantises are posted as Special Delivery guaranteed before 1pm through Royal Mail.