Texas unicorn mantis

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Texas unicorn mantis
Texas unicorn mantis (Phyllovates chlorophaea), female

Texas unicorn mantis (Phyllovates chlorophaea ), female

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Mantis (Mantodea)
Family : Mantidae
Subfamily : Vatinae
Genre : Phyllovates
Type : Texas unicorn mantis
Scientific name
Phyllovates chlorophaea
( Blanchard , 1836)

The Texas Einhornmantis or only Einhornmantis ( Phyllovates chlorophaea ) is a Mantis from the family of Mantidae . The species owes its trivial names to its area of ​​distribution and its distinctive appearance.

features

Top view of the same female with a captured butterfly ( Anartia jatrophae )

Females of the Texas unicorn mantis reach a body length of about 80 millimeters, males a good 70 millimeters. The basic color of the species is brown, with the legs also bearing several bright and prominent rings. The wings are light green and imitate leaves. The Texas mantis gets its name from two horn-like appendages between the antennae , which are, however, very close together, giving the impression that it is a horn. Because of this, the common names can be a bit misleading. In addition to the final size, a common sexual dimorphism for terrors is the number of sternites . There are six in the female and eight in the male. In addition, only the male is able to fly in the Texas unicorn mantis. Another difference between the two sexes in terms of species are the antennae, which in the male are longer than those of the female counterpart and also have a slightly feathery structure.

Similar species

The Texas unicorn mantis is similar to the closely related (belonging tribe : Vatini ) and occasionally known under the same trivial names Pseudovates arizonae . In contrast to the Texas unicorn mantis, however, this has a darker color including the ringlets and lobules on the striding legs and on the abdomen . Confusion in the wild is unlikely, at least in the United States, due to the distribution areas of both species (see chapter "Occurrence").

Occurrence

The Central and partly North American Texas Einhornmantis lives next to the US state of Texas and Mexico , Guatemala , Costa Rica and Panama . In Texas, the species predominantly inhabits the southern part of the state and, which means that the distribution area in the United States differs from that of Pseudovates arizonae , since it is only detected there in the central south and southeast of the state of Arizona . The habitats of the Texas unicorn mantis are mainly various warm and dry areas where the fishing insect inhabits the vegetation.

Way of life

Close-up of the same female as above with a captured butterfly

The Texas Einhornmants lives like many Mantis as lurking predators well camouflaged in their habitat and captured there various other arthropods , with the kind primarily on flying insects specializes. Like other terrors, the Texas unicorn mantis can defend itself with a threatening gesture .

Reproduction

nymph

The female reaches sexual maturity three weeks after adult moult, the male already two weeks after this. The female lays its first ootheca three to four weeks after the last moult. The reproductive behavior of the Texas unicorn mantis does not differ any further from that of other mantis, so that cannibalistic behavior on the part of the female can also occur here. Copulation lasts up to three hours. Seven to days after mating, the female lays the first fertilized ootheca. The ootheca of the Texas unicorn mantis is round in shape and brownish-red in color. A female can lay a total of six fertilized ooths at an interval of 14 days. After four to six weeks, up to 50, but mostly 30 young animals hatch, which, as with hemimetabolic insects, including all other fishing horrors, usually grow over several molts. While the lifespan of the female can be up to about a year, that of the male is significantly less.

Terrariums

The Texas unicorn mantis, like some other catch horrors, is a popular terrarium animal due to its characteristic appearance and is also bred. Successful keeping is made more difficult by the higher demands on warmth and the range of prey, which is mainly limited to flying insects. It should be positively emphasized that the Texas unicorn mantis, in contrast to other catching horrors, has a low intraspecific aggressiveness, which means that several animals can be kept in a suitable container (preferably a terrarium ) if there is sufficient food available .

Systematics

First describer Charles Émile Blanchard gave the Texas unicorn mantis the name Mantis chlorophaea in 1836 . Under Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure , the species was converted to the genus Theoclytes in 1859 , but kept its species name. Saussure and Leo Zehntner gave the species the name Theoclytes maya in 1894 (now used as the synonym Phyllovates maya ) and William Forsell Kirby in 1904 the synonym Theoclytes azteca , although this name is also used today as Phyllovates azteca . James Abram Garfield Rehn ordered the Texas Einhornmantis 1911 in the genre Phyllovates one. As a homotypical synonym , the species also bears the name Pseudovates chlorophaea and the two synonyms mentioned above under this generic name.

gallery

  • Another view of the previously shown female with the captured butterfly

  • Two nymphs on a stem

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h husbandry report of the Texas unicorn mantis on the M&M Wüst website , accessed on January 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c d Mary M. Gardiner, Ph.D .: Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know about Beneficial Predatory Insects , Quarry Books, 1st edition, 2015, pp. 42/43, ISBN 978-1-59253 -909-3 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Texas Unicorn Mantis Husbandry Report on USMantis.com website , accessed January 6, 2020.
  4. ^ A b United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents, National Zoological Park (US): Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution , The Institution, 1949, p. 358.
  5. ↑ a b c Phyllovates chlorophaea (Blanchard, 1836) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed January 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b Texas unicorn mantis husbandry report on the BugzUK.com website , accessed January 6, 2020.
  7. ↑ a b Pseudovates chlorophaea from Mantodea Species File , accessed January 6, 2020.

literature

  • Mary M. Gardiner, Ph.D .: Good Garden Bugs: Everything You Need to Know about Beneficial Predatory Insects , Quarry Books, 1st Edition, 2015, pp. 42/43, ISBN 978-1-59253-909-3 .
  • United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents, National Zoological Park (US): Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution , The Institution, 1949, p. 358.

Web links

Commons : Texas Unicorn Mantis  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files