[2][3] The praying mantis Empusa fasciata has a tapering head with a miter-like helmet, oval compound eyes, slender raptorial forelegs and a long thin thorax.

Insect prey can be captured upon landing, or even during flight, due to the fast strike of E. fasciata and its ability to rotate its head and the two powerful raptorial forelegs more than 90° laterally, without moving the rest of its body.

Distinct rocking and jerking movements are executed, which not only serve as camouflage in moving vegetation, but also facilitate spatial vision with the aid of motion parallax or retinal image displacement.

E. fasciata is generally diurnal, however males fly at night to find pheromone plumes emitted by sexually active females.

The auditory system found in various mantis species is a single ear, and is situated in the ventral midline of the thorax near the junction with the abdomen.