MANT1D A?. 
69 
Mcmtidce are far less numerous than some other groups of Orthoptera 
and fewer species occur. 
Wood-Mason catalogued the Mcmtidce and more recently Mr. Kirby’s 
catalogue has been issued by the British Museum (Cat. of Orth., pt. I). 
In this 82 species are listed as Indian divided as follows - 
Amorphoscelinae 1, Hemiaphilinae 7, Chaeradodinae 1, Mantinse 
43, Miopteryginae 0, Creobotinae 17, Vatinae 10, Empusiinae 3. 
The majority of Indian Mantidae belong to genera widespread over 
the Indo-Malayan region. Five genera are purely Indian, accepting 
India in the broad sense, these being Sphendctle, Phyllothelys, Heterochae- 
tula, Aethalochroa and Gongylus. Empusa is widespread, having but one 
Indian species, but occurring also in Africa, South Europe and Western 
Asia. 
Creoboter urbana, Fabr. is a common small green form, each tegmen 
with a yellow black-ringed eye-spot; it is an active species found upon 
bushes. Hierodula Westwoodi, Sss. and H. coarctata, Westw. (fig. 12) 
are the robuster green insect seen upon bushes and in crops, which are 
the most familiar 4 ‘Mantis’ ’ in India. The former has been seen eating 
Scutellera nobilis. Eremoplana microptera, Wlk. is a long slender species 
of a dull brown colour with a narrow green costal stripe, found upon low 
bushes in the plains. It comes freely to light. Hvlmbertiella indica, 
Sss. is a smaller dull grey species found upon the bark of trees, where 
its colouring renders it very inconspicuous. Schizocephalus bicornis, L. 
is one of the most delightful of the insects one can find commonly in the 
plains. It is a very long, attenuated insect, with long slender legs, and 
with short wings folding tightly round the body. Its colouring is green 
and the antennae and anal cerci are both the colour of a dry grass blade. 
Sitting among the grass, the insect is indistinguishable from the grass 
blades round it; its antennae or anal cerci give the idea of grass just dry¬ 
ing at the tip and one may search for these insects and not find one when 
they are abundant under one’s eyes at the time. They are slow in move¬ 
ment and the femur is armed only at the tip, the tibia very short. ~ < , 
Two species of Gongylus occur in India, of which we figure one. 
G. gongyloides, Linn. (fig. 15) is a notorious insect of which much has 
been written. G. trachelophyllus, Burm. is the commoner Indian 
