one tough mantis

Three weeks ago I found a dead 3" green mantis floating in my pool. I scooped it out and put it in the shade with its legs under it in case it was still alive, but it didn't move. Checked on it a few times in the next hour but no signs of life. Then I saw its abdomen moving, breathing, and in ten minutes it was trying to gather its legs and stand up. I quickly cleaned up an old Kritter Keeper I had used for geckos a couple years ago, and when I got back to him...he was gone! I looked all over but he was nowhere. Mantis outsmarts man, escapes. Half hour later I saw him crawling away from my BBQ. Set him up in the cage with some leafy twigs, and stupidly put a small water dish in (I know mantises don't drink from a dish, but it was it there already and I just set it up without thinking). He ate a moth the next day, then the next day I could find him and then saw him drowned in the water bowl! I was sure he was dead this time. Pulled him out, propped him up, and same thing. No signs of life for an hour, then slowly started coming back. The next day he took a cricket, and has been chowing moths ever since. Seems to prefer moths (easier for him to catch I guess). Stopped eating and moving around much a few days ago, and this morning I see he has successfully molted. Molt is upside on on the lid and he is hanging under a branch drying out. He now has wings the full length of the abdomen (only little stumps before) and is 4" long now. So cool.

What species is he? I am trying to borrow a camera to post a pic, but maybe someone knows from my description. I have a planted yard, but in the Arizona desert. I'm sure he fell out of the Juniper tree near the pool, where I've seen a couple others over the years. From the fully developed wings and time of year (I think they are ready to go, maybe another molt away?), I guess he's close to full grown, but not sure. Bright green, looks like your classic mantis. Chinese? I thought they were much bigger. I know in Pennsylvania, we had green varieties that got to 7". Anyway, after his brushes with death and his near-escape from me, I call him Houdini.

-BBC

Could be the Chinese, size is dependant on how much they get to eat, so size can vary alot. It might be a native Stagmomantis sp., Stagmomantis females usually have very plum abdomens with short wings while the males are longer and more slender with wings extending beyond the abdomen. I collected a beutiful female that was very pale tan, almost white. She laid an ootheca and I reared the babies, some were bright green, some were brown, and some were nearely white like mom.

There's also an introduced Mediterranian species that is very simmilar to Stagmomantis.

There are other native Arizona species, but most of them are very different from the "classic" mantid.

Wade