Biology and Life Cycle of the Praying Mantid Hierodula tenuidentata Saussure, 1869 (Insecta: Mantodea)

Mirzaee, Zohreh; Sadeghi, Saber; Battiston, Roberto

doi:10.1007/s40995-022-01325-2

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In our study, the average incubation period for oothecae of B. mendica was 36.8 days (±2.9 SD). This is similar to other members of the Empusidae family, such as Empusa pennata (Thunberg, 1815) (28 days) ( Bischoff, Heßler & Meyer, 2001 ), Idolomantis diabolica (42–72 days) ( Schwarz, Mehl & Sommerhalder, 2007 ), or Mantidae family members such as Orthodera ministralis (30.9 days), and Hierodula ventralis (25 days) ( Suckling, 1984 ; Raut, Bhawane & Gaikwad, 2014 ; Mirzaee, Sadeghi & Battiston, 2022 ). However, shorter ( e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“… Korsakoff (1934) reared specimens of north African populations, and he recorded nine instars for females and eight instars for males of B. mendica from hatching to adulthood. In our study, nymphs only passed through fewer instars, i.e., six for males and seven (rarely eight) for females, which is similar to Idolomantis diabolica (Saussure, 1869), which passes seven instars to reach adulthood ( Schwarz, Mehl & Sommerhalder, 2007 ), or Hierodula species, which pass six to nine instars to reach adulthood ( Leong, 2009 ; Raut, Bhawane & Gaikwad, 2014 ; Mirzaee, Sadeghi & Battiston, 2022 ). The variability in the number of instars in mantids might be due to different factors, such as temperature, resource availability and quality, humidity, genetics, sex, and photoperiod ( Esperk, Tammaru & Nylin, 2007 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…Even among species with similar incubation periods, the strategies used can be different. For instance, females of Hierodula tenuidentata lay their oothecae in late autumn, which then undergo a dormant process during winter, and egg development begins when temperatures become suitable; the same also applies to Mantis religiosa and Sphodromantis viridis ( Kaltenbach, 1963 ; Berg, Schwarz & Mehl, 2011 , Mirzaee, Sadeghi & Battiston, 2022 ; Raut & Gaikwad, 2016 ). On the other hand, females of B. mendica and Empusa spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overwintering strategies in Mantodea can be different between different genera but little information regarding these strategies is available for this group of insects. Some Mantidae genera, for example, Hierodula Burmeister, 1838 and Mantis Linneus, 1758, go into a facultative diapause phase during the ootheca stage ( Ramsay, 1984 ; Schwarz, Keller & Berger, 2017 ; Mirzaee, Sadeghi & Battiston, 2022 ). However, some other species in different genera like southern species of Ameles Burmeister, 1838, Empusa Illiger, 1798, and Severinia Finot, 1902, have the strategy to overwinter as nymphs ( Battiston & Galliani, 2011 ; Shcherbakov & Govorov, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because egg maturation takes place during the hottest and driest time of the year when there is limited food supply. Then, the larvae hatch with the first autumn rains, and reproduction in the following year will end when the living conditions become unfavorable ( Robert, 1937 ; Vanitha et al, 2016 ; Raut & Gaikwad, 2016 ; Mirzaee, Sadeghi & Battiston, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biology, ecology, and biogeography of eremic praying mantis Blepharopsis mendica (Insecta: Mantodea)

Mirzaee,

Simões,

Battiston

et al. 2024

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Background Blepharopsis mendica (Fabricius, 1775) is a large mantid species found from the Canary Islands across North Africa, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Research on this species has been limited, especially in Iran, despite the country’s potential significance for studying its biology and distribution. Adults of this species are easily recognizable by their marble-white pattern and rhomboidal leaf-like pronotum. They are sit-and-wait predators that inhabit various open environments. Methods Field observations were conducted across various regions of the Egyptian Flower mantis (Blepharopsis mendica) global distribution, with a focus on Morocco, Tunisia, and Iran. Distribution data for B. mendicawere gathered from fieldwork, museum collections, online biodiversity databases, and publications, totaling 593 occurrence points. Ecological niche modeling was performed using environmental data, and various models were evaluated for suitability. Phylogeographic analyses involved DNA sequencing and construction of a haplotype network to examine genetic relationships between populations. Divergence time estimation and biogeographical range expansion models were applied to explore historical distribution shifts of the species across different regions. The study provided comprehensive insights into the biology, distribution, and genetic history of B. mendica. Results We provide information on the life cycle, ootheca, defense behavior, habitat, and biogeography of the Egyptian Flower mantis Blepharopsis mendica. This mantid is an overwintering univoltine species with nymphs emerging in summer and becoming adults in spring. In the wild, females start oviposition in April and can lay their first ootheca within a week after mating. The species is distributed from the Canary Islands to Pakistan in the dry belt. Thus, its distribution is associated with xeric areas or desert and semi-desert habitats. Phylogeographic analyses revealed three major genetic lineages, (i) in the Maghreb, (ii) from Egypt via Arabia to Iran (with internal substructures), and (iii) likely in Pakistan; the estimated onset of differentiation into these lineages is of Pleistocene age. Defense behavior involves flying away or extending wings broadly and lifting forelegs. Performing laboratory breeding, we documented life cycle and color changes from first instar to adulthood. Due to overwintering, the last larval instar needs considerably longer than the others. At 25 °C (±2), average adult life span was 118 days (±6 SD) for females (range: 100–124) and 46 days (±5 SD) for males (range: 39–55), with a significant difference among sexes. On average, oothecae contained 32.3 eggs (±10.1 SD) and the mean incubation period was 36.8 days (±2.9 SD). We did not find evidence of parthenogenesis. In general, the biology of B. mendica shows a variety of adaptations to its often extreme and little predictable type of habitat.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%