124 OETHOPTEEA. 



genera. This is only to be expected, as these strongly raptorial limbs are the organs with which the Mantidse 

 capture the living prey on which they feed. The femora are armed with two rows of spines, and bear besides 

 three typical spines at the base of their inferior face (spince basales, Sauss. ; spince discoidales, Stal). When 

 the femora are short and the tibiae about equal to them in length, three discoidal spines only are present ; 

 and wben the tibia shuts upon the femur, its claw falls between the discoidal spines and the first spine of the 

 inne r border. When the femora are longer and the tibiae shorter, the claw of the tibia falls between the first 

 and second spines of the inner row, in consequence of which the first spine is separated and thrown more 

 against the disc. In this case the first inner spine has the appearance of a discoidal spine, and Stal 

 numbers it as such and says that there are four discoidal spines. It would be more correct to count only 

 three discoidal spines, and one separated spine of the inner row ; but to facilitate diagnosis it is shorter and 

 more convenient to count, as Stal has done, three or four discoidal spines. 



The Mantidee are mimetic insects, green or grey in colour, and they are difficult to 

 detect amongst the leaves of bushes and trees. The males, which fly about in search 

 of the females, are more easily seen, having generally longer and membranaceous elytra, 

 and frequently less brightly coloured wings. 



By means of their very strongly raptorial legs they are enabled to prey not only on 

 insects, but also on all kinds of small animals, especially on small birds, as noticed by 

 Eobert Hudson *. 



Several genera and species of the northern parts of South America which have 

 not yet been detected in Central America no doubt extend into this portion of the 

 American continent, as shown by the existence in the collections we have examined of 

 various small larvae which do not belong to the known Central-American genera, but 

 seem to agree with Brazilian types. 



Conspectus tribuum f . 



1. Tibiae anticae margine externo inermi vel tantum tuberculis minutissimis instructo. (Pro- 

 notum coxis anticis haud longius.) — [Amorphoscelin^e.] 

 1, 1. Tibiae anticae margine externo spinuloso. 



2. Femora anteriora margine interno spinis aequalibus vel spinis alternis minoribus, ac 

 majoribus armato. Antennae marram setaeeae vel raro unipectinatae. 

 3. Pedes intermedii et posteriores teretes, tibiae hand multicarhralati. 

 4. Corpus et pedes simplices, baud lobata. Antennae setaeeae. 



5. Pronoti pars antica anterius baud coaretata, scilicet collum nullum efficiens, 

 antice ad caput truncata vel excisa. — OrthoderiNjE. 

 5,5. Pronoti pars antica anterius coarctata; pronotum hoc propter supra coxas 

 latius ; collum angustum vel parabolicum (rare dilatatum) , antice ad caput 

 rotundatum. — Mantin^e. 

 4, 4. Corpus vel pedes lobata, vel vertex conoideo productus. — Harpagiinle. 

 3, 3. Pedum intermediorum et posteriorum femora superne carinata, tibiae multicarinulatae. 

 (Pronotum elongatum.) — Vatin^:. 

 2, 2. Femora anteriora margine interno inter spinas longiores spinis brevioribus (typice tribus) 

 armata, Antennae marium bipectinatse. (Caput appressum, vertice in conum producto.) 

 — Empusinje. 



* Of. Burmeister, Berl. ent. Zeitschr. 1864, pp. 234-236. f Secundum Brunner de Wattenwyl. 



