Pyrgomantis pallida Giglio-Tos, 1917

Schwarz, Christian J., Pohl, Marius & Frank, Erik T., 2023, A preliminary checklist of the praying mantids of Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast (Insecta: Mantodea), Zootaxa 5373 (1), pp. 1-64 : 22

Pyrgomantis pallida Giglio-Tos, 1917

Figs. 60–68

Pyrgomantis pallida Giglio-Tos, 1917: 106 .

Type locality. Rei-Bouba , Cameroon .

Distribution. Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC ( Beier 1957a, 1968; Giglio-Tos 1917a; Gillon & Roy 1968; Prost & Roy 1986; Ragge & Roy 1967; Roy 1963, 1964b, 1965a, 1971b, c, 1975; Roy & Leston 1975).

Records. CSC: ♁, old camp, 24.X.2000, C. J. Schwarz leg. (genitalia preparation Schwarz No. 233); ♀, old camp, 16.X.2000, C. J. Schwarz leg.; ♀, old camp, 24.X.2000, C. J. Schwarz leg.; ♀, old camp, 25.X.2000, C. J. Schwarz leg.; 2 juv. ♁♁, old camp, X.–XI.2000, C. J. Schwarz leg.; ♁, new station, 03.IV.–12.V.2017, M. Pohl leg. (genitalia preparation Schwarz No. 318); 2 ♁♁, new station, 22.IV.–06.VI.2018, M. Pohl leg.; ♀, new station, 22.IV.–01.VI.2019, M. Pohl leg.

Remarks. Like the previous taxon, a savanna species, living in grass tufts and showing morphological and behavioral adaptations to this habitat. Females practice maternal care by guarding the ootheca against invertebrate predators ( Gillon & Roy 1968; pers. obs.).

Figures

FIGURES 60–65. Pyrgomantis pallida Giglio-Tos, 1917. 60–61, 64. Female. 62–63, 65. Male. 60, 62. Dorsal view. 61, 63, 65. Ventral view. 64. Anterior view of forebody. 65. Genitalia.

FIGURES 66–68. Pyrgomantis pallida, live aspects. 66. Dorsolateral view of male. 67. Portrait of male. 68. Dorsolateral view of feeding female.