Mantis religiosa (common name: European mantis) is an insect of the family Mantidae.
In the first two photos there's a male while in the last two a female.
In this case they are distinguishable by the size (females are larger), and also due to the length of the antennae (males have longer ones).
In this case they are distinguishable by the size (females are larger), and also due to the length of the antennae (males have longer ones).
Another particular, visible in the third photo, is a black eyespot with a white center at the base of the coxae (the base of the raptorial leg), this is displayed by Mantis religiosa when they feel threatened, to make them look much larger and more of a threat to the attacker.
Both the individuals were photographed in northern Italy.
