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The Colin McEnroe Show

Let us pray — A salute to our favorite mantis

By Lily Tyson
Published September 24, 2024 at 1:00 PM EDT
Entomologist Katherine Dugas displays a Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) at Connecticut Public’s studios in Hartford. The Chinese mantis was discovered in Connecticut in 1902 and is larger than the European mantis or praying mantis that was discovered in North America in the late 1890s, first found in Connecticut in 1951 and designated the official state insect in 1977.
Mark Mirko
/
Connecticut Public
Entomologist Katherine Dugas displays a Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) at Connecticut Public’s studios in Hartford. The Chinese mantis was discovered in Connecticut in 1902 and is larger than the European mantis or praying mantis that was discovered in North America in the late 1890s, first found in Connecticut in 1951 and designated the official state insect in 1977.

This year, local students lobbied Connecticut lawmakers to change our state insect, which is currently the praying mantis.

This hour, we are focused on the praying mantis.

We learn about the insect, why students think it should not represent the state, and what praying mantises of the future could look like.

GUESTS:

  • Liz Alter: Professor of evolutionary biology at California State University Monterey Bay
  • Katherine Dugas: Entomologist and research technician at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired April 8, 2024.

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Lily Tyson
Lily is the senior producer for The Colin McEnroe Show. She first worked at Connecticut Public as an intern in 2014. She has previously worked for WBUR, KUNC and as a producer for the New England News Collaborative's weekly show Next. Lily can be reached at ltyson@ctpublic.org.
See stories by Lily Tyson