Mekongomantis quinquespinosa gen. et sp. nov., a new Mantidae genus and species is described based on specimens from two localities—Lam Vien plateau in Vietnam and the environments of Umphang, Thailand. The new genus has five posteroventral spines on the forefemur, a feature previously unknown in any Mantidae (sensu stricto) genus. The rest of external morphology is similar to Tenodera Burmeister, 1838 and Mantis Linnaeus, 1758, while the characters of the male genitalia place the species more closely to Hierodula Burmeister, 1838 and Camelomantis Giglio-Tos, 1917. The discovery of such a large (>70 mm) genus level taxon exemplifies the poorly studied diversity of Mantodea in the rapidly deteriorating Greater Mekong area. To ease identification, we also provide a key to the Mantidae of South-East Asia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.