Sphodromantis lineola

Sold as the African mantis The best praying mantis for a first try: a 3 to 4 inch hunter from west and central Africa that is active by day and widely rated a beginner-level species. Watching it stalk and snatch a fly is the best five seconds of insect keeping. House one per tank, because African mantises are prone to cannibalism, and make the tank tall, since a mantis needs vertical space to molt. The downside is a short life of about 6 to 9 months, with females outlasting males, so treat it as a season-long project rather than a lifelong pet.