A synoptic review of the genus Stagmomantis (Mantodea: Mantidae)

Abstract

Stagmomantis is a remarkable genus within the Mantodea, being relatively species-rich and geographically widespread. Yet, the number of species within the genus remains curiously unresolved. The present synoptic review surveys the literature on Stagmomantis to identify named species for which scientific consensus exists, as well as to summarize basic biological information for each species, including geographic distribution, morphological features, and sex-specific biometric data. The review identifies 23 consensus taxa within Stagmomantis: 22 separate species, with one of these species, S. montana, split into two subspecies (S. m. montana and S. m. sinaloae). The review indicates morphological features that may prove to be diagnostic for a given species, particularly when examined in conjunction with male genitalia. Such features include dark spots on the anterior femur (S. amazonica, S. centralis, S. marginata, S. nahua, S. venusta, S. vicina), spines or denticulations on the anterior coxa (S. colorata, S. montana montana, S. parvidentata, S. theophila), and dark bands on abdominal tergites (S. californica, S. colorata, S. domingensis). Color variation of certain features with respect to body coloration, such as stigma coloration and body and leg markings, requires more attention. Information on life history, reproduction, and ecology are summarized, particularly for temperate populations of S. carolina and S. limbata. While the 23 consensus taxa represent a robust appraisal of the existing literature, some taxonomic uncertainties remain. The status of two species are somewhat unclear (S. marginata and S. tolteca), calling for taxonomic evaluation. Furthermore, proposed within-genus groupings deserve examination, as do possible subdivisions within some species (e.g., S. limbata, S. parvidentata). Information on basic morphology and biometry remains incomplete for nearly all species. Extreme examples are S. amazonica, S. costalis, and S. paraensis, for which females have not been described. Live animal research on life history, behavior, and ecology is needed for all species, with the possible exceptions of S. carolina and S. limbata. By reconciling species assignments and consolidating biological information for the 23 consensus taxa, this synoptic review promises to guide subsequent systematic and phylogenetic investigations of the genus Stagmomantis.

New Species Records of Mantodea, Orthoptera, and Phasmatodea in the State of Texas (Usa)

“…Diapheromera carolina has been found in the dense forest in far eastern Texas, and it occurs early in the year for a stick insect which may explain its rarity in collections. The mountain mantis has a relatively wide geographic range from across Mexico south to Costa Rica, and it has a few verified records in the United States (Maxwell 2014). Only the subspecies S. montana montana is known from the United States (Maxwell 2014).…”

Mántidos (Insecta: Mantodea) de la Reserva de la Biósfera Selva El Ocote, Chiapas, México

“…Existe poca literatura que corrobore los meses de actividad de cada especie. Maxwell (2014) indicó que las especies de Stagmomantis emergen entre abril y junio, las ootecas aparecen de septiembre a octubre, por lo que no es raro que en las localidades de la Reserva se hayan colectado las especies de este género (S. m. montana, S. nahua y S. vicina) en los meses de abril, mayo, julio y agosto. Lücking et al (2010) mencionaron que un valor alto de precipitación es de gran importancia para la presencia de C. rhombicollis.…”

Sinopsis de las especies de Mantodea en México con nuevos registros de distribución para Chiapas (Insecta: Dictyoptera)

“…En el caso de S. venusta existen registros solamente en el estado de Oaxaca (Cano-Santana y Ramos-Rivera 2017). No obstante, al ser Stagmomantis un género principalmente Neotropical, distribuyéndose en Estados Unidos, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador y Perú (Agudelo et al 2007, Maxwell 2014, no es de extrañarse haberlo encontrado en Chiapas. Con el registro en la Selva Lacandona, la especie amplía su distribución en México cerca de 590 km al sur (Oaxaca).…”

“…Los especímenes se revisaron taxonómicamente, ubicándolos categóricamente mediante las propuestas de Rivera y Svenson (2016) para la superfamilia Acanthopoidea y para familias y subfamilias de Mantodea se ocupó lo indicado por Wieland y Schütte (2017). La distribución documentada de los ejemplares se consultó en los trabajos de Agudelo et al (2007), Battiston et al (2005), Battiston y Picciau (2008), Cano-Santana y Ramos-Rivera (2017), Ehrmann (2002), Giglio-Tos (1927), Hebard (1922Hebard ( , 1932, Hernández-Baltazar y Gómez (2017), Jantsch (1999), Kirby (1904), Lombardo y Agabiti (2001), Mantodea Image Database [MantID] (2018), Marshall (1975), Maxwell (2014), Pfäuti y Hollier (2012), Rehn (1935a), Saussure y Zehntner (1894), Svenson (2014), Svenson et al (2016), Terra (1995) y Werner (1925. Todo el material colectado se encuentra depositado en la colección de El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Unidad San Cristóbal, Chiapas (ECO-SC-E).…”