The genus Mantis is in the family Mantidae, of the mantis order Mantodea. Members of this genus can be found in Asia, Africa, Australia, and recently one species has been introduced to North America.
Some of its species have the common name "praying mantis".
Species
Mantis is a small genus of mantises, which includes 9 species (others are synonyms):
Mantis beieri Roy, 1999 – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mantis callifera Wood-Mason, 1882
Mantis carinata Cosmovici, 1888
Mantis dilaticollis Gistel, 1856
Mantis emortualis Saussure, 1869
Mantis griveaudi Paulian, 1958
Mantis insignis Beier, 1954 – Angola, Guinea, Congo
Mantis macroalata Lindt, 1973 – Tajikistan
Mantis macrocephala Lindt, 1974 – Tajikistan
Mantis octospilota Westwood, 1889 — "eight-spotted mantis", or "blackbarrel mantid", Australia
Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) — European mantis, or "praying mantis"
Mantis splendida de Haan, 1842