Small Astmantis
| Small Astmantis | ||||||||||||
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adult female eating |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Popa spurca | ||||||||||||
| Stål , 1856 |
The Small Astmantis ( Popa Spurca ) ( Engl. Twig Mantis ) belongs to the order Mantodea ( mantis ).
features
The Little Astmantis gets its name from its appearance, which makes it appear like a branch and thus makes it inconspicuous (camouflage) in its habitat. Particularly noticeable are the triangular head with the large, laterally arranged complex eyes , the greatly elongated prothorax and the stripes in the concealed area of the front hip. The head of the animals is very flexible, they can turn it by almost 180 °. The large, staggered eyes enable stereoscopic vision and represent the most important sensory organ for hunting and for precise localization of sexual partners. Between the antennae there are three additional pinpoint eyes, so-called ocelles , with which the animals register differences in brightness. The prothorax and abdomen of the animal are almost the same length and the cuticle is very rough and uneven. Due to the elongated, thin shape of the entire body, it looks like a small fork of a branch. While the two rear pairs of legs, which are provided with small appendages, are designed as striding legs , the front legs, which are located in the front area of the prothorax, are converted into tentacles , the femur and tibia are studded with thorns to hold the prey. The fang legs, which are shifted far forward, act more like arms in these animals, as they can move freely and are very far away from the striding legs. As an imago , the animals have two pairs of wings, but the females are not able to fly because their wings are too small. The wing approaches can already be seen in the pre-adult stages.
Newly hatched larvae are 6–7 mm in size. The adult females are slightly larger at 7.5–8 cm than the males, which only reach 6.5–7 cm. The color of the cuticle ranges from brown to gray to almost black, depending on the local population and the environment, and patterned animals are also possible.
Reproduction
The sex of this species of fishing horror is relatively easy to determine even in the larval stage, as the female's abdomen ends like a spear, while that of the male is rather slender. In addition, the males have a light stripe at the end of the abdomen, which is barely noticeable in the female or is completely absent. In the adult stage, females are usually larger and much more powerfully built than the males, and their wings, unlike the male, do not protrude beyond the abdomen. The sexes also differ in each larval stage in the number of sternites ; in the adult stage it is 6 in the females and 8 in the males.
The females are ready to mate approx. 14 days after the imaginal molt, the males after approx. 10 days. 1 to 5 days after copulation , which lasts about 6 hours , the female lays up to 8, approx. 2 cm large, flat, gray ootheca (egg packets) at intervals of 3 to 4 weeks , of which up to 135 four to five weeks later , however, on average 90 - 110, larvae hatch.
development
Life expectancy in females is about 11 months (5 as larvae and 6 as adults) and in males a total of about 6.5 months (4.5 in the larval stage and about 2 in the adult). During this period of time, the female molts about 9 times and the male about 8 times, for this purpose the animals hang upside down on a branch or something similar (see figure). After the molt is complete, the animals pull themselves up on the old skin and remain hanging nearby for a while so that their outer shell can harden. The cuticle of the animals is always a little lighter after molting and only gets its actual color after a few hours. After the imaginal molt - this is the last molt during which the animals get wings - they are referred to as imago or adult.
distribution
This mantid species lives in Ethiopia , Kenya , Madagascar , Malawi , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda , with the first description referring to an animal from Kenya. Their habitat are shrubs and bushes in dry areas.
behavior
The little Astmantis often sits for hours with its fangs stretched far forward on branches completely motionless and lurks for prey (see picture), which consists mainly of insects . However, everything is regarded as food that is the same size or smaller, here no exception is made for conspecifics and amphibians , sometimes even animals that are larger than themselves fall victim to the mantis. When the prey comes within reach of the fangs, it is grabbed and held. However, the food is also actively hunted, with the mantis stalking the prey until it is within reach and then strikes with its fang legs at lightning speed. Fast or fleeing prey are sometimes caught with the help of short sprints and jumps. The food is eaten alive, as the animals have no poison or the like.
In the event of danger, the Astmantis stretches its fangs straight forward and presses itself against the ground in order to merge with it even better. It relies so heavily on its camouflage that it often remains completely motionless even when touched. The animals very rarely threaten to scare off predators when they are in danger. The otherwise invisible stripe color in the area of the front hip is presented and adult animals also set up their wings. However, this behavior can only be observed in adult animals; the larvae rely entirely on their camouflage.
Systematics
Of this kind there are two subspecies, in addition to the 1,856 described nominate nor the 1917 by Ermanno Giglio-Tos described Popa Spurca crassa .
photos
- Female animal
L5 with tentacles stretched far forward
approx. L5 in shock position
L6 when molting
L6 when molting
approx L7 with butterfly
Subadult animal
Attachment of wings in a subadult animal
- More pictures
Couple copulating
L1 a short time after hatching
literature
- I. & R Bischoff, C. Hessler, M. Meyer: Mantiden Fascinating Lauerjäger. Edition Chimaira, published September 2006, ISBN 3-930612-45-3 .
- Reinhard Ehrmann: Mantodea mantises of the world. NTV, published 2002, ISBN 3-931587-60-6 .
