2016/05/13 by Sydney K. Brannoch, Gavin J. Svenson · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Fossil Insects in Amber #Plant and animal studies #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Biology #Mantis #Taxonomy (biology) #Zoology #Key (lock) #Synonym (taxonomy) #Entomology #Evolutionary biology #Genus #Ecology
paper · doi:10.1163/1876312x-47032141
openalex publication_date 2016/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Praying mantis species description and higher-level taxonomy has historically relied on external morphological characters, male genitalic characters, and geographic distribution. For the first time, female genitalic characters were used to delimit genus- and species-level boundaries using two genera with a complex taxonomic history, Nilomantis Werner, 1907 and Ilomantis Giglio-Tos, 1915. We present comprehensive morphological evidence for the validity of Ilomantis , currently a junior synonym of Nilomantis and describe a new species, Ilomantis ginsburgae sp.n. We provide a key to the species of Nilomantis and Ilomantis based on genitalic and external morphological character states. High-resolution images, illustrations of morphological characters, and measurement data are also presented. We conclude that female genital characters have significant utility in praying mantis taxonomy and should be incorporated as an additional data source to complement traditional taxonomic and genetic data.