MIONYX.— THESPEOTIA. 169 



[6. Mionyx surinamus, Sauss. 



Thespis surinama, Sauss. Bull. Soc. Ent. Suisse, iii. p. 70 ( <? ) (1869) ; Mem. Mex., Mantid. 



p. 129.3(d). 

 Musonia surinama, Stal, Syst. Mant. p. 66. 2 (<£). 



Hab. Venezuela ; Guiana, Paramaribo, Surinam.] 



[THESPROTIA, Stal. 



Oligonyx, Sect. 2% Saussure, Mem. Mex., Mantid. p. 117 (1871). 

 Thesprotia, Stal, Syst. Mantod. p. 45 (1877). 



Corpus bacillare, longissimum, gracillimum. Caput transversum vel elevatum, antice planatum ; fronte supra 

 ocellos 5 carinula angulata notata; vertice lobis juxta-ocularibus prominulis. Protborax elongatus, 

 marginibus £ subtilissime denticulatis ; collo angustissimo, parallelo, elongate Pedes antici filiformes ; 

 coxae in medio leviter curvatae, margine supero-anteriore medio leviter sinuato. Pemora valde compressa, 

 tantum in 3 a parte apicali spinosa, margine interno spinis 6-8 armato, a spinis reliquis aegre distinguendis 

 (2 a vel 3 a frequenter longissima) ; margine externa spina unica, brevi, in media parte armata marginis 

 exserta ; basi spinis discoidalibus 3-4 (seeunda plerumque longissima). Tibiae rudimentariae, basi 

 coarctatae, teretes, subtus haud sulcatae, ungue longiore armatae ; spinis extus 1, intus 2, quarum una 

 recta, ad unguem apposita, altera major, arcuata, absolute ad superum dejecta, complete dorsalis, divergens. 

 Lamina supra-analis lanceolata, valde elongata. 



S cf • Elytra et alaa angusta. Elytrorum vena mediastina in dimidia parte basali vena? discoidali sat propinqua, 

 parallela, dehinc ad marginem costalem divergens. Areae anterior et posterior campi marginalis apice 

 remote transverse venulosae ; area anterior basi irregulariter reticulata ; area posterior indivisa, venulis 

 nullis excepto ad apicem. Vena media indivisa. Alarum areae binae campi marginalis late quadrato- 

 reticulatae.] 



In this very singular genus the anterior legs are more aberrant in form than in any 

 other type of the Family Mantidae. The femora are strongly compressed, and have a 

 single spine only on the outer margin (difficult to distinguish), this being placed close 

 to the long spine of the inner margin. The tibiae are so rudimentary that they cannot 

 be opposed to the spines of the femora for grasping purposes, except with their long 

 claw ; they are truncated, and terminate, so to speak, in four spines, of which one, 

 placed on the superior face, large and arcuate, appears to be a very powerful weapon. 

 For what purpose the tibia? are thus formed, or how these insects are able to capture 

 their prey with such a weapon, it is impossible to understand. They probably live on 

 very small insects. 



Stal has separated these Mantids from the genus Oligonyx, Sauss., on account of the 

 rudimentary anterior tibiae, the very long filiform body, and the more compressed elevated 

 vertex. They agree very nearly with that genus, but the armature of the anterior 

 tibiae, although belonging to the same type, is rather different, the last two spines of 

 the inner side being equally apical ; the penultimate spine, however, instead of the 

 apical (which is smaller and contiguous to the claw), is transferred upwards. 



Thesprotia seems to be a South-American type, but it probably extends to Central 

 America. 



Mantis jilum, Licht., from Surinam, probably belongs to this genus. 

 biol. centr.-ameb., Orthopt., April 1894. zz 



