Empusa hedenborgii

Technical Sheet — Empusa hedenborgii

• Scientific name: Empusa hedenborgii
• Family: Empusidae (slender, crested mantids)
• Geographic distribution: Spain, parts of Portugal, France, Lebanon, central and southern Italy, and Greece.
• Size:
  • Females: up to 10 cm
  • Males: smaller, lighter body
• Distinctive appearance:
  • Cone-shaped projection on the head visible from birth
  • Color variations: green, beige, white, with purple hues in some specimens
  • Males have feather-like antennae
• Body structure:
  • Long, slender thorax, curved abdomen
  • Forelegs with spines for catching prey; long, thin hind legs
• Flight ability: Both sexes have wings, but males fly more easily than females
• Habitat: Warm, dry areas such as grasslands and scrublands where they camouflage easily
• Camouflage and behavior: Patient ambush predator, remains still and strikes quickly at small insects or arachnids

Description

The Empusa hedenborgii looks like it came out of an ancient dream. From the very start of its life, it displays that peculiar “horn” on its head — a magical touch that defines its identity. Its slender body resembles an elongated leaf traced by a delicate stem, with thin legs like fragile twigs. Its colors — from muted greens to beige shades with purple highlights — provide perfect camouflage in the shifting light and shadows of the Mediterranean scrubland.

When still, it barely reveals itself, except for that unmistakable profile. But in the hunt, it’s pure spark: in a blink, it seizes prey with its spiny forelegs, like a living vegetal spear. Males, light as winged metaphors, take to the air effortlessly; females, in contrast, seem to carry a heavier secret when they rise.

Living near one is to feel the magic of the everyday: a creature that blends visual subtlety with an almost ancestral heritage, dressed in simplicity and mystery, hidden in plain sight until it chooses to surprise you.