Britain’s extraordinary summer continued as exotic praying mantises bred here for the first time ever.
The babies were spotted by a sharp-eyed pupil at a school.
Adult praying mantises are around three inches long and are native to southern Europe.
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They are recognised by their front legs, which are adapted for grabbing prey, and are carnivorous, feeding on insects including crickets and flies.
Some of the adult insects were first spotted in Cornwall last September and were believed to be moving north as temperatures rise.
Now ten tiny babies have been discovered at Truro school in the county.
The fearsome miniature predators were found near an open window by Olly McKeown, son of the school’s head of boarding, David McKeown.
His dad first thought the youngster had got his insects mixed up – until he took a closer look, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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David said: “Olly deserves all the credit for this discovery.
“When he first told me he had seen baby praying mantises, I thought he must have been mistaken.
“Once I looked more closely, I realised he might be right.
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“It was a remarkable and very surprising find.
“I know that our biology department and boarding students will be excited by the discovery, and it feels very special that the Truro School grounds could provide the first evidence of praying mantises breeding in Cornwall.”
The ten nymphs have been submitted to Cornwall Wildlife Trust via the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS).
And experts are now hunting for the insects’ egg case – known as an ootheca – to establish where the tiny newcomers came from.
Laura Fox, Data and Evidence Officer at ERCCIS, said: “It’s always exciting to discover a new species for Cornwall, but this is particularly interesting as it is the first of its order – no other species of mantis has ever become established in Cornwall, or indeed the rest of the UK.
“As global temperatures continue to rise, we can expect more exotic species to arrive in the UK from southern Europe.
“If you’ve spotted something unusual, please do get in touch.”
The species has not previously been recorded breeding on the UK mainland.
Last year Cornwall Wildlife Trust said the insects may have been blown into Cornwall on strong winds or hitchhiked in someone’s luggage.
The trust described the species as non-venomous and said it could be considered a climate migrant because of rising temperatures.
It said it appeared to be only a matter of time before more colonies arrived in mainland UK.
The insects are most likely to be confused with stick insects, which are already well established in Cornwall.
Wildlife recorders are now keen for people to report any unusual sightings to help track the species.
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