Praying mantis species spotted in Cornwall for first time

There have been sightings of praying mantises in the wild in parts of south west England for the first time.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) said two separate sightings of the European praying mantis had been recorded in gardens near Truro and Mousehole.

It said the sightings of the insects which are about 3in (7.62cm) and native to southern Europe, were the first recorded in Cornwall.

The charity said it believed the mantises might have been blown over to Cornwall on strong winds or “hitchhiked” in someone’s luggage.

CWT added it could be possible the insects had escaped from a pet collection, but thought this was unlikely as the mantises were spotted in two different locations and nobody had come forward to claim them.

European praying mantises, which eat a variety of insects such as crickets and flies, have breeding populations on the Isle of Wight and Channel Islands, CWT said.

The trust said it appeared the non-venomous species was moving north and could be considered a “climate migrant” due to rising temperatures.

CWT said it seemed like it was “only a matter of time” before more colonies arrived in mainland UK.

In 2021, the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre said a praying mantis was spotted in a garden in Oxford.

In the same year, another praying mantis was spotted in a plant nursery in Stratford.