Carolina Mantis (Insect Predators by Trendmasters)

Collectors of figures and memorabilia from the Godzilla franchise should be familiar with Trendmasters. But did you know they released a series of ‘Insect Predators’ in 1993? Well, they did! The series consisted of a scorpion (unidentified, but presumably the emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator), the giant stag beetle (Lucanus elaphas), a ‘killer’ bee (Apis mellifera), a wasp (Bembix americana), a mosquito (Aedes taeniorhynchus), and the subject of today’s review, the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina). It is interesting to note, that neither the honey bee or stag beetle are predaceous at any stage in their life cycles, and the mosquito is probably better described as a parasite rather than a predator (but that last comment is the professional parasitologist in me being a little pedantic). You may have noticed from the pics, the mantis is sold as a ‘praying’ mantis and is only identified at the genus level. Typically when we think of the praying mantis, we think of Mantis religiosa, but the genus Stagmomantis is considered a genus of ‘praying mantids’. With regards to the species specific designation of S. carolina? That’s just my personal choice, since it the most common and familiar species in North America.

As its common name suggests, the Carolina mantis was described from the Carolinas. It is common throughout much of the United States west of the Rocky Mountains, south to Brazil. Its egg cases (oothecae) are commonly sold for gardeners, to offer an option for biological control of garden pests. Adults are 4.8-5.7 cm, with the males being slightly smaller than females on average. They are typically grey, brown, or green, and are experts at blending in with their backgrounds. Their natural habitats are forests, fields, and meadows, but are adaptable to yards, parks, and gardens.

On to the figure. The Insect Predators figures come with purple bases with their common and Latin names. I think there is some gimmick to the base (makes noise? lights up?), but I haven’t figured out and there are no explanations on the packaging (and honestly, I don’t care). They also come with a clear plastic cover with five ‘air holes’ at the top and a front pane that functions as a magnifying glass; I think it is to make it appear as if the critters are in cages.

The figure is rather soft and best stands with a clear plastic support provided with the packaging. The body length measures 6.0 cm, making it slightly larger than 1:1 in scale. However, the proportions are off, so some of the features are larger than 1:1 scale. Overall it is quite stylized, being painted the usual shade of ‘must-be-a-mantis-let’s-make-it’ green and having bulging black eyes.

Overall this figure is best for taxonomic specialists and completists, like myself when it comes to arthropods. However, it could be fun for curious children. I recently bought the mantis, bee, and stag beetle on eBay. I really want the mosquito however! They pop up on eBay periodically (I actually had a few of them already but they must have gotten misplaced during one of my last couple moves). I should also point out, that despite the rather stylized quality of these figures, the Carolina mantis, Bembix wasp, and Aedes mosquito are unique species as toys, and Lucanus elaphas has only been made once before to the best of my knowledge, so they could offer an opportunity for rare and unique taxa!