Carolina mantis

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Carolina Mantis
Adult female Carolina Mantis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Mantodea
Family: Mantidae
Genus: Stagmomantis
Species: S. carolina
Binomial name
Stagmomantis carolina
(Johansson, 1763)
Synonyms

See text

The Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) is species of praying mantis of the subfamily Stagmomantinae.

Sexual cannibalism occurs in roughly one quarter of all intersexual encounters of this species, though specimens of this species will engage in cannibalism regardless of age or gender if the opportunity presents itself.[1]

Carolina mantis oothecae can be purchased in garden supply centers as a means of biological control of pest insects. It is the state insect of South Carolina.

Range

Stagmomantis carolina is native to South America, Central America and North America.[2] Southern United States, Central-Southeastern USA, Buenos Aires[2][2] Mexico,[2] Panama, Trinidad, Venezuela,[2] Suriname[2] Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,[2][2] French Guyana, Guatemala.

Description

Adult females are 47 to 60 millimeters in length while adult males are usually about 54 millimeters in length. 1st instar nymphs are 7-12 millimeters in length. When the nymphs eat more their abdomens get much longer. The Carolina mantis has a dusty brown, gray, or green color useful as camouflage in certain environments. The Carolina mantis' color varies because the nymphs are able to adjust their color to match the environment they are in at the time of molting. They can adjust their color over each molt, if necessary, until they reach their final molt to adulthood. An unusual trait is that its wings only extend three quarters of the way down the abdomen in mature females; this trait is also seen in Iris oratoria, which can be distinguished by the large eyespots on its inner wings.

Synonyms

The species was first described in Centuria Insectorum (1763) as Gryllus carolina.

  • Gryllus carolinus
  • Stagmomantis americana (Taylor, 1862)
  • Stagmomantis conspersa (Burmeister, 1838)
  • Stagmomantis conspurcata (Serville, 1839)
  • Stagmomantis cuticularis (Serville, 1839)
  • Stagmomantis dimidiata (Burmeister, 1838)
  • Stagmomantis ferox (Saussure, 1859)
  • Stagmomantis fuscata (Weber, 1801)
  • Stagmomantis inquinata (Serville, 1839)
  • Stagmomantis irrorata (Johansson, 1763)
  • Stagmomantis maculosa (Chopard, 1912)
  • Stagmomantis nordica (Giglio-Tos, 1917)
  • Stagmomantis polita (Giglio-Tos, 1917)
  • Stagmomantis simplex (Giglio-Tos, 1917)
  • Stagmomantis stolli (Saussure, 1869)
  • Stagmomantis thoracica (Rehn, 1911)
  • Stagmomantis wheelerii (Thomas, 1875)

[3]

References

  1. ↑ Mike Maxwell. "Sexual cannibalism, mate choice, and sperm competition in praying mantids". 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/specimen/ShowSpecimen.aspx?Router=NewPage
  3. ↑ http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1798

External links

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