說明/ 雄蟲體長 4–6 公分，雌蟲 5–7 公分，普遍易見的大型螳螂。本種是常見螳螂中腹部最寬的一種，因此得名。成蟲多為綠色型，翅背兩側各有一枚醒目淺黃色斑點。黃綠色、紫褐色型等個體較少見。幼蟲綠色型與褐色型均常見，受驚嚇時腹部會向背側反摺揚 起。成蟲出現於 3 月至 11 月，普遍分布於平地至低海拔山區。喜歡在樹枝前端附近 活動，捕食其他昆蟲。雌蟲將卵產在樹幹或小枝條上，幼蟲孵化後常於地表落葉或草 叢中捕食小型昆蟲。（陸維元攝）

Males 4-6 cm in length, females 5-7 cm, it is a common large-sized mantis. It has the widest abdomen among common mantises, for which it is named “Wide Abdomen Mantis” in Chinese. The adults are mostly green, with distinct light yellow spots on the back of its wings (one on each side). The yellowishgreen and purplish-brown individuals are rarer. Green and brown nymphs are both commonly seen. When threatened, nymphs curl the abdomen over the body. The adults appear between March and November, commonly distributed across plains and low altitude mountains. It likes to stay near the front ends of branches, hunting other insects. The female lays eggs on tree trunks or branches. The nymphs often hunt small-sized insects among fallen leaves or bushes. (Photo courtesy of Lu Wei-yuan)