are there any fossils of this found?
Yes, from Siberia
Mantis
The earliest mantis fossils are about 140 million years old, from Siberia. Fossils of the group are rare: by 2007, only about 25 fossil species were known.
what is the predator of a praying mantis Mantises are generalist predators of arthropods what family or species is this a part of? Mantidae ("mantids")
wiki:56988
Mantis [SEP] Fossil Mantids
The earliest mantis fossils are about 140 million years old, from Siberia. Fossils of the group are rare: by 2007, only about 25 fossil species were known. Fossil mantises, including one from Japan with spines on the front legs as in modern mantises, have been found in Cretaceous amber. Most fossils in amber are nymphs; compression fossils (in rock) include adults. Fossil mantises from the Crato Formation in Brazil include the long "Santanmantis axelrodi", described in 2003; as in modern mantises, the front legs were adapted for catching prey. Well-preserved specimens yield details as small as 5 μm through X-ray computed tomography.