campomoche

( campamocha [kampamót∫a]; of uncertain origin, probably from Nahuatl campa-mo-chan 'where your house is' via Spanish). California: 1919. Bentley references this term as an insect known as a 'praying mantis' ( Mantis religiosa), so called because its folded wings resemble a clerical garment and its front two legs resemble hands clasped in prayer. The insect is also known as the "praying insect," "devil's horse." The term campomoche is also applied to a smaller green or gray-colored insect with a sticklike body, sometimes called a "walking-stick." The walking-stick is difficult to distinguish from the plants that it inhabits, and it is said to be fatal to cattle when they ingest it along with grass. Islas confirms that the insect is poisonous and kills numerous cattle in Chihuahua, Mexico, when they accidentally eat it. Santamaría references campamocha as an orthopterous insect of the mantis family that deposits its eggs in a multicolored capsule that is also called a campamocha. He provides the genus and species Stagmomantis limbata. Cobos indicates that the campamocha is the common praying mantis. Islas and Cabrera describe a different insect that blends in with foliage because of its sticklike appearance.