Mantodea of Panguana (Insecta: Dictyoptera)

Abstract

We present here the first illustrated checklist of the praying mantids (Mantodea) collected at the Panguana Field Station in Central Peru over the course of 50 years. The examination of over 430 specimens obtained mainly by light-trapping, but also other methods, revealed 44 species in 28 genera. Mantoida brunneriana, Mantoida cf. argentinae, Pseudomiopteryx cf. decipiens, Angela trifasciata, Liturgusa neblina, Cardioptera squalodon, Metriomantis cf. pilosella, Acontista festae, and Heterovates pardalina are new Peruvian records. Microphotina panguanensis n. sp. is new to science and the first species of the genus Microphotina described from the Western Amazon. The checklist of confirmed Peruvian Mantodea species is raised to 80. Thus, more than half of the currently known Peruvian Mantodea species is found at Panguana. We discuss the reasons for this diversity and comment on putative additional species which might be sampled if collection efforts are intensified. The results highlight the Conservation value of ACP Panguana for Western Amazonian Mantodea.

The luring mantid: Protrusible pheromone glands in Stenophylla lobivertex (Mantodea: Acanthopidae)

“…Females guard their egg cases until the young hatch; the hatchlings are 13 mm long (as compared to 40-44 mm in adults). The natural phenology of Stenophylla is unknown, but during more than 35 years of regular collections at the Panguana field station in Peru, adult specimens (deposited in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Karlsruhe [SMNK], the Zoologische Staatssammlung München [ZSM], and in the collection of CJS) were only found in the months of August to October (Schwarz et al 2020). The specimens of the type series were captured in October and November (Lombardo 2000).…”

Taxonomic review of Pseudomiopteryx Saussure, 1870 (Mantodea: Thespidae: Pseudomiopteryginae)

“…There is no record of a lectotype designation previous to the current study. Schwarz et al (2020) presented a photo of a male terminalia of a specimen from central part of Peru identified as P. cf. decipiens, which is similar to that of type-spimen of P. decipiens.…”

A new species of Microphotina Beier, 1935 from the southernmost region of Amazonia (Mantodea: Photinaidae)

“…nov. -Type locality in RPPN Cristalino, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Schwarz, Ehrmann & Stiewe, 2020 -Type locality in Huánuco, Peru. The record of Microphotina sp.…”

“…Whereas the two known species of Chromatophotina are restricted to the Western Amazon rainforest (Andean foothills and adjacent lowlands of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia) (Rivera & Svenson 2016, Microphotina is widespread across the Amazon (Fig. 1) and includes the following species: M. vitripennis (Saussure, 1872), M. viridescens (Chopard, 1912), M. viridula Roy, 2019 and M. panguanensis Schwarz, Ehrmann & Stiewe, 2020. Although the non-monophyletic status of Microphotina remains contentious 4) is only known to French Guiana and Chromatophotina Rivera, 2010 is restricted to Western Amazon, Microphotina Beier, 1935 ranges across this entire biome.…”