User:Robertplyer/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Hymenopus coronatus

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I have chosen to evaluate Wikipedia's article on the Orchid Mantis. I have chosen this article because it is my favorite insect and I find mantis' so cool!. My first impression of this article is that it is pretty well expanded and contains many references.

Evaluate the article
Beginning with this article's introduction, it does provide a good starting point and overview to what the orchid mantis is, including where they live, why they have their physiological distinction, and how they hunt. This article also does a good job of letting you know what you will read, as it mostly talks about their mimicking physiology and diet.

When it comes to the content of the article, it is pretty heavy on information on it's physical appearance and diet. Commonly, because this mantis resembles an orchid, it mainly feeds on other insect pollinators and catches them as they get too close with their claws and strong biting power. Also, this articles heavily emphasizes how this insect "sways" in the wind to mimic that of a flower, attracting flies and other small insects to come right to it. A lesser touched on part of this article is that this insect inhabits the rainforests of southeast Asia.

The article is neutral and does not lead you to feel some way about this insect.

The information is reliable as many sentences are followed by a reference and there is a diverse amount of references used. My favorite part of this article was actually quoted from another asking why mantis parental habits are so little researched (quoting Shelford's 1903 account). However, using this as a reference is very outdated.

The images included in this article are very interesting. First we get to see what an orchid mantis looks like, then a picture of the mantis camouflaged into an orchid and it is not noticeable. Finally, we are provided of other pictures of the mantis including the sexual dimorphism and their mating displays.

I find this article's talking page very useful. In this tab, we can see the edits that other people have made. Mostly, people had voiced their opinion on adding more details to these mantis' to grow their online information. This tab also includes some edits and removals that people have done because they have had little or no outside support to the claims. For example, a statement that these insects can eat other vertebrates was removed because it was not supported by the cited work.

Overall, I think that this article is a very good starting point when trying to learn about the orchid mantis, but not enough to use as a sole work. Where this article's strength is in giving a good overview on the basis of what makes this insect interesting, being how this insect looks and how it is beneficial. However, this articles weakness is how this insect is in its environment and why it chooses the environment that it does. So, I would say that this article is a good baseline, but can be extended with much more information.