Identification
Often called the "Jeweled Mantis," *Acontista concinna* is a master of miniature deception. This is a "micro-mantis," with females reaching a mere 20mm and males being even more slender. Females are brachypterous—their outer wings are short, thickened, and leaf-like, failing to cover the end of the abdomen. Look for the distinctively wide, triangular head and bulging compound eyes that give them a "frog-faced" appearance. While their primary color is a cryptic lichen-green or mottled bark-brown, the real field mark is hidden: the hindwings of the female are often tinged with a vivid, translucent yellow or orange, visible only when they take flight or display.
Habitat & Range
This species is a quintessential Neotropical resident, ranging from the humid lowlands of Costa Rica and Panama down through Colombia and Ecuador. They are specialists of the "edge effect," thriving in the sun-dappled shrub layer of lowland rainforests and secondary growth forests. You won't usually find them in the dark canopy; instead, look for them perched on the undersides of broad leaves or vibrating among flowering lantana at elevations below 1,200 meters.
Behaviour
Observers will notice that *A. concinna* is far more "nervous" than larger mantids. They are cursorial, meaning they prefer to run with surprising speed rather than fly. If a photographer approaches too closely, the mantis will perform a rhythmic "swaying" motion to mimic a leaf in the wind. If further provoked, females engage in a deimatic (startle) display, flaring their tiny wing pads to reveal their hidden colors, hoping to momentarily confuse a hungry jacamar or marmoset.
Diet
As diminutive predators, they focus on "micro-fauna." Their diet consists almost exclusively of small dipterans (flies), leafhoppers, and tiny stingless bees. They are high-metabolism hunters; unlike the patient "sit-and-wait" style of the Praying Mantis, *Acontista* will actively stalk prey across a leaf surface with feline precision.
Fascinating Fact
Despite their tiny size, *Acontista concinna* females are famously feisty; they have been observed successfully fending off spiders twice their size by using their raptorial forelegs like high-speed boxing gloves, proving that in the rainforest, attitude matters more than acreage!