Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Insects. 



Plate 130. Figs. 1-2. 



MANTIS LATISTYLUS (Serv.). 

 The Broad-styled Mantis. 



[Genus MANTIS (Lin. restricted). (Sub-kingd. Articulata. Class Insecta. Order 

 Orthoptera. Section Raptoria. Fam. Mantidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Body elongate, smooth. Head wide, triangular, anterior face divided trans- 

 versely, upper part girt round on the sides and in front by a semicircular ridge ; vertex smooth. 

 Eyes large, rounded ; ocelli, 3, in a triangle, above the antennas and between the eyes, much 

 larger in the male than the female. Antennas setaceous, multiarticulate, hair-like in the 

 female, thicker and much longer in the males, between the eyes. Labium (or lower lip) of 4 

 nearly equal lobes jointed near middle ; palpi short, 3-jointed ; labrum (or upper lip) ovate, 

 entire ; mandibles strong, trigonal, with 1 strong tooth below and 2 or 3 at apex ; maxillae long, 

 outer lobe galeated, inner lobe with 2 teeth at apex ; palpi of 5 filiform joints, pointed, tips 

 reaching little beyond maxillaa. Prothorax very long, narrow, smooth, a little dilated laterally 

 at its anterior part, where the anterior pair of legs are attached ; margined on the sides ; rest of 

 thorax short, concealed by the tegmina and wings when at rest ; no scutellum. Abdomen of 9 

 dorsal joints in both sexes ; 6 ventral in female, and 8 in male, simple to the tip, depressed, 

 dilated laterally behind the middle, most so in the female ; 2 articulated processes at tip, and 

 a short inarticulate pair in male. Tegmina elongate, oval. Legs long, 2 hind pair simple, 

 anterior pair raptorial. Tarsi five-jointed, the first joint much longer than the others.] 



Description. — Female: Body moderate, narrow. Head very wide ; eyes very 

 large, prominent; antennae very slender, about half the length of the prothorax. 

 Prothorax with a strong median keel, a smaller lateral marginal one on each side, 

 slightly serrated on anterior half; dilatation over anterior legs small, anterior fourth 

 having an oval granular space surrounded by an impressed line, and having mid- 

 lines impressed; hinder portion smooth. Abdomen smooth, slightly dilated behind 

 the middle; articulated styles large, pubescent, ecpial in length to the two first 

 joints of abdomen, the 6 or 7 basal joints short, narrowed, less than half as long as 

 wide, and convex ; 7 or 8 terminal joints, wider, longer, flattened, and the terminal 

 and penultimate ones longer than wide. Legs moderate, coxae of anterior pairs half 

 the length of prothorax, with a row of fine irregular spines on anterior ridge; thigh 

 about two-thirds the length of prothorax, with 5 or 6 long, strong spines on outer 

 lower ridge, and more numerous, smaller ones on inner margin of groove; tibia 

 about half the length of the thigh, ending in a long, curved, sharp spine, with a 

 row of about 12 small spines on each of the two posterior ridges. Wings very 

 short; elytra not reaching half the length of the abdomen, narrow, nearly equally 

 wide throughout, elliptically pointed at end, with posterior two-thirds transparent; 

 wings only two-thirds the length of the elytra, broad, transparent, except the narrow 

 anterior border. Color : Body and legs all green, with brownish tinges especially 

 on sides of prothorax, with a conspicuous satiny-white longitudinal band along- 

 middle of upper side of abdomen, and meta- and meso-thorax ; antennae, tarsi, and 

 abdominal styles brown. Measurements: Length, 3 ins. 6 lines. Proportional 

 measurements to length, taken as unity : Length or depth of vertical face, T £<y ; 

 width of head, including eyes, y 1 ^ ; length of antennae, -fifo ; length of prothorax, 

 ■yfo ; mesothorax, T ^ ; metathorax, y 1 ^ ; length of abdomen, T %% ; articulated 

 styles, T y 7 ; length of anterior coxae, y 1 ^ ; width, T ^ ; femur, T Vo- ', length of 

 elytra, T Vo; width, T £- -; length of wing, yW; width, y'^. Male: More slender, 



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