Adults are usually about 30–45 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Creobroter urbanus
A predator that changes disguise as it grows: ant-like when young, flower-like as an adult.
About this species
Creobroter urbanus(Fabricius, 1775)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Creobroter urbanus is an Asian flower mantis whose visual strategy changes dramatically through development. Early nymphs resemble ants; later stages become green and patterned, and adults can flash concealed wing markings when threatened.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Mantodea · Hymenopodidae · Creobroter
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
South and Southeast AsiaBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
South and Southeast Asia
Warm scrub, gardens, forest margins and flowering vegetation.
Diurnal ambush predator.
Flies, moths, bees and other insects.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
Early nymphs are dark, glossy and ant-like, exploiting the fact that many visual predators avoid ants because ants are aggressive, defended and often unpleasant to eat.
After several moults the disguise is rebuilt: the body becomes green, cream and pink, breaking up the outline so the same animal now vanishes among leaves and blossoms.
When camouflage fails, the adult can snap open its wings and expose conspicuous markings in a deimatic display, changing from hidden predator to sudden false-eyed threat in a fraction of a second.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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