A small, intricately camouflaged African mantis that mimics dead leaves and is one of the best beginner species, prized for its looks and unusually tolerant nature. It is one of the few mantises that can be kept communally with care, though it still lives only about a year.
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Small mantis, about 4.5-5 cm (1.8-2 in) long, with an elaborate leaf-litter camouflage shape and a prominent head crest.
Lifespan
1 years
Social needs
solo
Native region
Africa
Origin
Old World
Climate
🌴 Tropical
Family
Hymenopodidae
Genus
Phyllocrania
Part of the Mantises
Praying mantises — solitary, cannibalistic ambush predators kept individually in tall, well-ventilated enclosures with climbing decor. They need vertical headroom for safe molting, live insect prey, and gentle misting; most are harmless and many tolerate light handling.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Adult deli/mesh enclosure
≈ 5 × 5 × 8 in (≥ 3× body length tall)
Ghost mantises (Phyllocrania paradoxa) are small and dead-leaf-mimic — solitary one-per-enclosure. Height should be at least three times body length so an adult can hang from a mesh ceiling to moult safely.
Photo coming soon
Recommended
Adult planted terrarium
6 × 6 × 9 in, front-opening, mesh top
A small front-opening terrarium with mesh ceiling, branches and dried oak/beech leaves for camouflage, and light daily misting. Ghosts tolerate moderate humidity (50–70%) and room temperature.
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Planted display enclosure
8 × 8 × 12 in, planted, mesh top
A taller planted display with live foliage, dead-leaf clutter, and gentle lighting that highlights this species' striking leaf-mimic camouflage. Generous height supports clean moults.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Photo coming soon
Egg
Insects begin as eggs, laid singly or in clusters on or near a food source. Egg size, shape, and incubation time vary widely; some are glued to surfaces, others inserted into plant tissue or soil.
Photo coming soon
Larva / Nymph
The immature stage either looks grub- or caterpillar-like and very different from the adult (a larva, in beetles, flies, and butterflies) or like a wingless miniature adult (a nymph, in roaches, mantises, and stick insects). It eats and molts repeatedly as it grows.
Photo coming soon
Pupa
In insects with complete metamorphosis, the larva pupates — often in a cocoon, chrysalis, or sealed cell — and its body is reorganized into the adult form. Nymph-developing insects skip a true pupa and molt straight to the adult.
Adult
The adult is the sexually mature, usually winged stage with the species' full coloration and form. Adults are typically the dispersing and reproducing stage, and in many insects do not grow further once mature.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Natural
representative
Brown (leaf-litter)
The most common natural color form, ranging from tan to dark brown to mimic dead leaves; coloration is influenced by environment and humidity rather than being a fixed genetic morph.
representative
Green
A naturally occurring greenish form that some individuals express, again driven largely by environmental conditions during development rather than a stable man-made line.
Habitat & enclosure
House in a small tall enclosure at least 3x the mantis's body length in height (roughly 15x15x25-30 cm for an adult) with plenty of twigs, fine branches, and foliage to climb and hang from. Keep at 22-28 C (72-82 F) with moderate humidity (~50-60%) maintained by light misting and good ventilation. As with all mantises, vertical clearance below a perch is essential for molting.
Substrate
A thin layer of coco fiber or a damp paper-towel base that holds light humidity and is easy to clean; depth is unimportant since the species lives on vertical surfaces and foliage.
Equipment & setup
Tall, well-ventilated enclosure with mesh or netting for grip, abundant twigs and leafy decor for climbing and molting, a misting bottle, and a thermometer/hygrometer. Heating is generally unnecessary at room temperature; a thermostatted low-wattage heat source helps in cold homes. No UVB required.
Diet
A camouflaged ambush predator that prefers flying prey. Feed flightless fruit flies to small nymphs and progress to houseflies, blue-bottle flies, small crickets, and moths for adults. Feed nymphs every 1-2 days and adults every 3-4 days, removing uneaten prey. Mist surfaces so the mantis can drink droplets.
Behavior & temperament
Exceptionally calm, slow-moving, and shy — it relies on dead-leaf camouflage and 'plays dead' rather than fleeing, making it very easy to handle gently. Uniquely among common mantises it can sometimes be raised communally if kept well-fed and given ample space and prey, though cannibalism risk never fully disappears, so monitor closely. Nocturnally active and most striking when displaying its leaf-mimic posture.
Health
Hardy and forgiving. Like all mantises it is limited to a roughly one-year lifespan, and most deaths come from mismolts due to insufficient vertical space, low humidity, or disturbance during molting — leave a pre-molt mantis alone. Avoid dehydration with regular misting and avoid oversized prey. If kept communally, separate any individual that is small, weak, or being harassed.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Decorate densely with branches and dried/artificial leaves to give cover and molting anchors and to bring out its natural leaf-mimicry. Keep humidity up with daily light misting. For communal setups, keep prey constantly abundant, provide a large planted enclosure, and watch for size disparities. Don't disturb a mantis hanging upside down to molt.
