The shield mantids: pronotal flanges spread into leaf-plates, large bodies, and the most architectural silhouettes the mantis trade carries.
Mantid rules govern without exception: under a year of life, moulting height as the non-negotiable, flying prey, and nymphs over adults as the only rational purchase. The shield photographs magnificently and expires on schedule.
Southeast Asian supply plus hobby breeding cycles seasonally, and the annual repopulation keeps the market permanently shallow: prices stay modest, availability follows breeding windows, and the genus premium over plainer mantids buys geometry. A year of architecture is the honest product description.