AW Insect Book: Mantids (Mantodea) Pics & Descriptions

[ExFmem]

Tarachodid Mantis Galepsus sp.; possibly Galepsus (Syngalepsus) bipunctatus or G. (Onychogalepsus) intermedius
Superfamily Eremiaphiloidea. Family Eremiaphilidae. Subfamily Tarachodinae. Tribe Tarachodini



KNP by ExF


KNP


KNP

Genus Galepsus
Galepsus is a genus in the Tarachodidae family. There are four subgenera and 67 valid species within this genus. Galepsus is one of the genera that require global revision, especially those from under-collected regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution
The distribution of Galepsus is estimated to be mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Fiji and the island of the Comoros.



Habitat
Its distribution in Southern Africa is associated with the grassland and savanna biomes.


KNP

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) bipunctatus, Galepsus (Onychogalepsus) capitatus and Galepsus (Onychogalepsus) intermedius are known to occur in the Kruger National Park.

Galepsus Subgenera
According to Beier’s key, both subgenera Syngalepsus and Onychogalepsus have:

Vertex straight or slightly rounded, not set off from the dorsal margin of the eyes, without incisions and without bumps


KNP

But points to the following differences:

ONYCHOGALEPSLUS nov. subgen.
Head clearly wider than proton
Lower frons transverse to almost square
Pronotum: supracoxial dilation at most weakly pronounced
Prosternum in the median line more or less blackened, without spots


SYNGALEPSUS nov. subgen.
Head rounded pentagonal
Lower frons wider than high
Eyes oval, with rounded but pronounced upper corner
Pronotum: without supracoxial dilation
Prosternum with 2 circular spots in the metazone, sometimes also blackened over a large area






The subgenus Syngalepsus (Beier 1954) represents the least diverse subgenus of Galepsus in Africa (Ehrmann 2002).

Distribution of subgenus Syngalepsus



Links:
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/2/119/htm
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/ANNA_100B_0019-0059.pdf
http://biblio.naturalsciences.be/rbins- ... nt-red.pdf

[ExFmem]

African Mantis Miomantis sp. (Saussure 1870)
Superfamily Miomantoidea. Family Miomantidae. Subfamily Miomantinae. Tribe Miomantini








2015 KTP spec.1 by ExF


Genus Miomantis
Miomantis is a large genus comprising about 65 named species distributed in Egypt and eastern and southern Africa (Beier 1935c, Schoeman 1985, Roy 1987b). It is in urgent need of revision, as many of the species named by Giglio-Tos are based on color only. Beier(1955) points out that the only certain way of distinguishing the species is by way of the structure and form of the male genitalia.





2015 KTP spec.2

Diagnosis.
*Moderately small mantids, variably green/brown in color.
*Head broader than long, distinctly wider than pronotum, especially in female; ocelli and antennae inserted on anterior face, the ocelli without prominent tubercles or elevations and the antennae filiform; frons much wider than high, with corners more or less rounded; eyes rounded or conical but not projecting.
*Pronotum moderately slender, anteriorly rounded and narrower than posterior, with a flat, oval, weak supracoxal swelling, the disc, which in female is occasionally granular with serrated edges.
*Wings present in both sexes; in male well developed, hyaline, occasionally somewhat smoky, the tegmina having a longitudinal coloured stripe between costal and discoidal fields; in female somewhat shortened, variable in length, opaque, the tegmina with costal field at most half as wide as discoidal field.
*Raptorial legs strong; coxa longer than metazone of pronotum, with strongly developed denticles; femur moderately slender, with 4 discoidal and
4 outer teeth; ventral surface around outer teeth with several denticles; claw-furrow situated in proximal half of femur; tibia with 7 teeth in outer row.
*Middle and hind legs normal; middle metatarsus as long as other segments together, hind metatarsus longer.
*Suranal plate triangular, not elongate. Cerci moderately short, simple.
*Sexual dimorphism strong.






2018 KTP by ExF

Links:
https://www.biotaxa.org/fnz/article/viewFile/1765/2911

[ExFmem]

African Mantis Bisanthe (Stal 1876) sp.
Family: Chroicopteridae Subfamily: Chroicopterinae Tribe: Chroicopterini. Subtribe: Bisanthina
(Classification based on a 2019 revision)

Family Chroicopteridae
The Chroicopteridae are a new (2019) family of praying mantids, based on the type genus Chroicoptera.


Male





2016 KTP by ExF

Genus: Bisanthe (Stal, 1876)
Species and Distribution
. Bisanthe lagrecai Kaltenbach, 1996 [Transvaal, Zimbabwe]
. Bisanthe menyharthi menyharthi (Brancsik, 1895) [Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe]
. Bisanthe menyharthi raggei Kaltenbach, 1994 [Zimbabwe, Botswana]
. Bisanthe pulchripennis (Stal, 1876) [Botswana, Namibia, Transvaal]
. Bisanthe tricolor Werner, 1923 [Botswana, Namibia, Transvaal]

Description
*Medium sized animals.
*Head a little wider than long.
*Frontal shield traverse, with two small rounded tubercles on the disc.
*The vertex is slightly convex and without "Nebenaugenhöcker" (without bumps next to the eyes).
*Pronotum longer than the anterior coxae.
*Pronotum moderately slim with a flat supracoxal dilation.
*Metazone finely keeled.
*Flight organs of the male rather narrow, hyaline with the exception of the opaque costal field of the elytra.
*Flight organs of the female somewhat shortened, but covering the abdomen.
*Female elytra narrow, parallel-sided, opaque. Alae small and narrow, with yellow transverse bands.
*Anterior coxae about as long as the metazone of the pronotum, almost untoothed ("fast unbewehrt") in the male, with divergent inner apical lobes.
*Anterior femora rather slender, with 4 discoidal spines and 4 outer/exterior spines.
*Metatarsus of the hind legs longer than the rest of the segments combined.
*Supraanal plate triangular, only slightly transverse.
*Cerci simple and round.


https://www.jstor.org/stable/41766916?s
http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/ ... ID=1183633
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53210525

[Klipspringer]

Stick Mantis Ischnomantis fatiloqua
Superfamily Eremiaphiloidea. Family Rivetinidae. Subfamily Rivetininae. Tribe Ischnomantini





The compound eyes of Mantodea consist of up to 10,000 or more ommatidia. They often strongly protrude the head laterally (exophthalmic), which leads to an excellent stereoscopic vision.


Male, Hartebeeshoek, Gauteng (April 2014) © BluTuna

Genus Ischnomantis:
Pronotum (fig.) longer than the coxae I. Supraanal plate very long, sword-shaped (fig). Tibia I with 8-10 spines on the outer margin.
Large to very large, slender species. Body length 107-150 mm in males, 120-170 mm in females.

Decription after Carl Stål: Orthoptera quædam africana descripsit (1871)
Coloration gray, forewings (tegmina) yellowish gray.
Male: Body length: 107 mm; prothorax 29 x 4.7 mm
Head transverse. Antennae much longer than thorax.
Lateral margins of the prothorax minutely denticulated

Ischonomantis fatiloqua Kaltenbach 1998.jpg (24.03 KiB) Viewed 2192 times

I. fatiloqua has been recorded from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo.


Links:
http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/ ... ID=1184548
http://verlag.nhm-wien.ac.at/pdfs/100B_ ... enbach.pdf
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32234702

[ExFmem]

Ground Mantid Ligariella trigonalis (Saussure)
Superfamily Chroicopteroidea. Family Chroicopteridae. Subfamily Chroicopterinae. Tribe Chroicopterini











2018 KTP by ExF (male)


Description
In Ligariella the prothorax/pronotum is distinctly less than twice as long as wide.

L. trigonalis
*The inner distal spines of the fore femora are at least by half longer and stronger than the other spines in this row (in males).
*The vertex is straight to slightly convex.
*The frontal tubercles do not protrude from the upper margin of the vertex in the female, whereas in the male, the tubercles protrude slightly.
*Pronotum 1.2 to 1.4 times as long as wide at the supracoxal dilation.
*Strong sexual dimorphism in this species, the female has reduced wings and a broad abdomen





Biology
Mimic stones and scurry around on the ground in search of insect prey.

Distribution
Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape and Northwestern Province, to Botswana and Namibia.

Habitat
Arid regions

Links:
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/ANNA_98B_0193-0346.pdf
http://verlag.nhm-wien.ac.at/pdfs/100B_ ... enbach.pdf
https://specimens.mantodearesearch.com/specimens/937

[nan]

Small African Stick Mantis Hoplocorypha cf nana
Superfamily Hoplocoryphoidea. Family Hoplocoryphidae








Male nymph, Grootkolk camp (in the sink), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Jan 2017)


Description
Adult size (male): Body length 26 mm; pronotum 9 x 1.5 mm; forewings (tegmina) 12 x 2 mm.
According to Sjöstedt (original description), the ocellar hill is hardly elevated in this species and in lateral view, the occelli are hardly visible.
The supraanal plate is short and rounded (tongue-shaped).
The pronotum has several longitudinal keels: 6 or 7 keels on the prozone and 3 keels on the metazone (the median keel the most pronounced).

Kaltenbach's key points to the length of the metazone of the pronotum for all Hoplocorypha spp (unlike Hoplocoryphella which has a longer metazone): The metazone is 1.3 - 1.5 times as long as the coxae of the forelegs in males and 1.0 - 1.2 times as long as the coxae I in females.

Hoplocoryphidae is a recently erected (in 2019 by Roy and Schwarz) family of praying mantids, based on the type genus Hoplocorypha. As part of a major revision of mantid taxonomy, the genera Hoplocorypha and Hoplocoryphella have been moved here from the subfamily Hoplocoryphinae of the previously polyphyletic family Thespidae. Species in this family have been recorded from tropical Africa.

Hoplocorypha mantids are excellent mimics of dry stalks, and when prowling the sand they move in a way resembling a stick waving in the breeze.
The head capsule of Hoplocorypha and Hoplocoryphella spp carries prominent bulging and pointed elevations between the compound eye and the corresponding parietal furrow on either side. These elevations have been named 'Nebenaugenhöcker' (Beier, Kaltenbach, Ehrmann) or 'lateral tubercles' (Roy). The function of the lateral tubercles has been discussed by Edmunds. In dorsal view, they enhance the concealment of the neck contour thus making it more difficult for predators to recognize the mantid as such (and therefore as potential prey) by its characteristic head-pronotum outline.

Distribution
Hoplocorypha nana has been recorded from East Africa, Malawi and South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park and Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park).

Links:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 9/mode/1up
http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/ ... ID=1185656
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/ANNA_98B_0193-0346.pdf

[ExFmem]

Small African Stick Mantis Hoplocorypha cf nana
Superfamily Hoplocoryphoidea. Family Hoplocoryphidae




Adult male




Adult female



Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park








Adult male




Adult female

Information and description here.

[Klipspringer]

Large African Stick Mantis Hoplocorypha cf macra
Superfamily Hoplocoryphoidea. Family Hoplocoryphidae

© BluTuna
Male, Kruger National Park, Shingwedzi (May 2014)

Diagnosis genus Hoplocorypha:
Length of metazone of pronotum less than double of that of anterior coxae.
Body length for males 26 to 40 mm; for females 38 to 70 mm.

5 species recorded from South Africa: H. brevicollis, H. macra, H. nana, H. saussurii, H. grandis
H. macra and H. nana (as well as several undiscribed or unidentified spp) are known to occur in the Kruger National Park.


Links:
http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/ ... ID=1185653
Museum specimens download/file.php?id=39683&mode=view

[ExFmem]

Bark Mantid; Lucubrating Mantis Tarachodes lucubrans (Burchell 1822)
Family Eremiaphilidae. Subfamily Tarachodinae



KTP by ExF


Subfamily Tarachodinae
Tarachodinae often have a slightly flattened habitus, flattened cerci and shortened meso- and metathoracic legs. The head is comparatively large with respect to the often slender body and mostly held in a hypognathous position (mouth parts are pointed down) when at rest or hiding in terms of camouflage, as seen here:




When moving or hunting, however, the same specimen may hold its head in a forward pointing position, as seen in this specimen:







Bark dwelling mantodeans are well camouflaged by means of flattened bodies and imitation of bark. The similarity is achieved by colouration and structural adaptations such as the habit of holding the forelegs bent with the femora pressed against the lateral edges of the pronotum. This behaviour helps to conceal the praying outline and to avoid lateral shadows

The prothorax often has a nearly rectangular outline and is often dorso-ventrally flattened, i.e. the pronotum is not arched. Note the close fitting of lateral edges of pronotum and dorsal edges of fore femora.



(The edge of the pronotum is slightly curved in lateral view in this species, and the dorsal edge of the femur is correspondingly curved).

In all species the head is wider than the thorax and rounded laterally. The lower frons (frontal shield, scutellum) is transverse (wider than long). The pronotum is about 2.5 times longer than wide.

Tarachodes spp exhibit a strong sexual dimorphism: The pronotum of the females has two conical tubercles. The males are mostly fully winged, whereas the females often have shortened wings.

6 Tarachodes spp are recorded from South Africa
Tarachodes beieri
Tarachodes insidiator
Tarachodes lucubrans
Tarachodes maurus
Tarachodes sanctus
Tarachodes natalensis

Tarachodes lucubrans
This is the type species of the genus.

Identification
The vertex bears short conical tubercles.
The lower frons (scutellum) is banded (dark to brown).

The species was first collected by the famous English naturalist and explorer William John Burchell who travelled in South Africa through 1815, collecting over 50,000 specimens. He described his journey in Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, a two-volume work appearing in 1822 and 1824.
This is his account of the newly discovered species, and the origins of its species name lucubrans. (lucubrate: verb, meaning write or study, especially by night from the Latin verb lucubrare - “having worked by lamplight”).




https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 4/mode/1up
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 2/mode/1up
https://specimens.mantodearesearch.com/specimen/1653
https://www.researchgate.net / publication / 313181723_Checklist_of_G...