Unveiling details of the dry-leaf praying mantids: Insights into two species of Decimiana (Mantodea, Acanthopidae) and new records for Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

By

Ferraz, Bernardo R.
Da Silva Olivier, Renan
De Souza-Dias, Pedro Guilherme Barrios

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2026-1-22

Original Publication

Journal of orthoptera research : JOR

Volume

35

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

53--62

Subjects

Biodiversity , Dimorphism , Distribution , diversity , genitalia , Morphology , Neotropics , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Philadelphia, Penn Orthopterists' Society 1992-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.35.148862

 

Abstract

<br> Acanthopidae is the third most diverse family within the Neotropical praying mantids with its genera presenting a high similarity with dry leaves in different levels of senescence or lichens and moss. It has nine genera that have received numerous taxonomic treatments throughout the history of Neotropical mantises’ studies. One of those genera,<br> Decimiana<br> Uvarov, 1940, was revised by Lombardo (2000) and, since then, three species have been added to the genus. In this study, we recorded two species of dry-leaf praying mantids,<br> Decimiana tessellata<br> (Charpentier, 1841) and<br> Decimiana hebardi<br> Lombardo, 2000, for the first time for Mato Grosso do Sul state in Midwest Brazil. A description of male genitalia of both species is provided, and the female genitalia of both species are described for the first time, setting the bases for taxonomic comparison across Neotropical Mantodea lineages, contributing to systematics and phylogenetic discussions.<br>