Stagmomantis carolina

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Stagmomantis carolina
Stagmomantis carolina, female

Stagmomantis carolina , female

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Mantis (Mantodea)
Family : Mantidae
Subfamily : Stagmomantinae
Genre : Stagmomantis
Type : Stagmomantis carolina
Scientific name
Stagmomantis carolina
( Johansson , 1763)

Stagmomantis carolina is a Mantis from the family of Mantidae . In English, the species is often referred to as the Carolina Mantis and is also the state insect of the US state of South Carolina .

features

male

Adult specimens of Stagmomantis carolina reach an average length of 48 to 57 millimeters, occasionally up to 70 millimeters, which means they are counted among the small to medium-sized fishing horrors . As with other fishing horrors, the female is usually larger here too. The physique of the species is largely identical to that of other species in the family, although the thorax , compared to other representatives, is relatively longer and the abdomen is comparatively short (the length of the head and thorax together corresponds almost to the length of the abdomen) and the Head is built much more in width. As with many fishing horrors , the sexes of Stagmomantis carolina also differ greatly from one another. The light green or brown colored female is more broadly built, has only six abdominal segments and the wings are comparatively short here and extend a little over half the length of the abdomen. The more narrowly built male is usually brown in color, has eight abdomen segments and is fully winged or its wings extend beyond the tip of the abdomen, making it airworthy in contrast to the female. Both sexes have large black eye-spots on the underside of the hind wings. The inside of the tentacles show yellow eye drawings. They can be used as a threat to a predator.

Occurrence

Stagmomantis carolina is common in North and Central America and has been recorded in many areas of the United States as well as parts of Central America, where it predominantly inhabits the east coast. The distribution area ends north about in Illinois and west in Utah , south it extends to Costa Rica . The adaptable species predominantly inhabits meadow landscapes, but also gardens, where it prefers to stay on low shrubs, herbaceous plants and flowering plants.

Threat and protection

The great Chinese mantis ( Tenodera sinensis ) is seen as a threat to the population of the species, along with other fishing rodents introduced in the range of Stagmomantis carolina .

Stagmomantis carolina is frequent in its habitat due to its adaptability and therefore not endangered and is therefore classified by the IUCN as not endangered ("least concern") with regard to its endangered status . However, the species is increasingly being replaced by other introduced mantis , including the European praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa ), the great Chinese mantis ( Tenodera sinensis ) and Tenodera angustipennis . These species of fishing horror were introduced for the purpose of biological pest control and ooths or hatched animals of these species are still sold for this purpose, which favors the spread of the quite adaptable neozoa , especially since they often prefer the same habitats as Stagmomantis carolina . As a result, the food supply becomes scarcer, which is also due to the fact that the reproduction rate of the other species of catching horror, due to the higher number of eggs in their oothecae, is higher than the comparatively low rate of Stagmomantis carolina . In addition, the introduced catchers usually reach a greater body length and are more powerfully built, which means that they also appear as predators of Stagmomantis carolina .

Way of life

Female with prey

Stagmomantis carolina , like many terrors, is a stalker who remains motionless in its habitat for most of the time and thus remains largely unnoticed due to its camouflage. This species also catches suitable prey, mostly other arthropods of suitable size. They are gripped with lightning speed with the thorny tentacles and then consumed.

Reproduction

Ootheca of Stagmomantis carolina

Adult specimens of Stagmomantis carolina can be found in late summer. The males capable of flying are also attracted by the females with the help of their own pheromones; the males prefer to seek out sexual partners in the evening hours. Here, too, as with many fishing horrors, the female can show cannibalistic behavior during mating, although this occurs much less often in the wild than is often assumed. In autumn (preferably in September and October) the female lays several oothecae . A single pairing is enough to fertilize all of the oothecae subsequently deposited. The ooths can each contain 20 to 40 eggs, which means that their number of eggs is low compared to that of the ooths of many other species of fishing rod. The young hatch in a subtropical climate or when kept at room temperature six to eight weeks after the respective ootheca has been deposited. In the temperate climates , e.g. B. in the northern United States, only the ootheca survive the winter and the young hatch each spring. The species is therefore predominantly univoltin , that is, there is only one generation per year.

Systematics

The first description of Stagmomantis carolina was in 1763 by Roland Johansson under the scientific name Gryllus carolinus, later it received several other synonyms from various authors and was finally placed in the genus Stagmomantis .

gallery

  • Top view of a female

  • Frontal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

  • Rear view of a female

  • Head of a female

  • Ovipositor of a female

  • The underside of the hind wings of an adult female, colored black for the purpose of threatening gestures

  • Lateral view of a male

  • Head of a male

  • larva

  • Subadult male (right) and female (left)

  • Frontal view of a sub-adult female

  • Lateral view of a sub-adult female

  • Threatening gesture of a subadult female

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Description of Stagmomantis carolina on BugGuide ( Link )
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Description of Stagmomantis carolina on Animal Diversity Web ( Link )
  3. ↑ Report on the impact on the North American ecosystem of the fishing horror species introduced there on Beautiful Native Plants ( Link )
  4. ↑ accounting reporting of Stagmomantis carolina on Keeping Insects ( Link )
  5. ↑ Systematics of Stagmomantis carolina on Mantodea Species File ( Link )

Web links

Commons : Stagmomantis carolina  - album with pictures, videos and audio files