Piscomantis, Rivera & Vergara-Cobián, 2017

Rivera, Julio & Vergara-Cobián, Clorinda, 2017, A checklist of the praying mantises of Peru: new records, one new genus (Piscomantis gen. n.) and biogeographic remarks (Insecta, Mantodea), Zootaxa 4337 (3), pp. 361-389 : 365

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4337.3.3

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:89E1CC86-BF39-42AB-89F5-3C24473AA320

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6045342

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E687DB-FFE4-F951-FF3C-FE16FD5A2B8A

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Piscomantis
status

gen. nov.

Piscomantis View in CoL Rivera & Vergara-Cobián, gen. n.

( FIGURE 1a–j View FIGURE 1 )

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F49C8BF9-3093-4147-8311-137844DF456F

Type species: Galapagia peruana Beier, 1935 (by present designation and monotypy).

Description (on the basis of G. peruana Beier, 1935 ). Size range (mm): 20–25.

Body coloration: light to dark brown or greyish brown ( Fig. 1a–b View FIGURE 1 ).

Head: vertex straight to slightly concave, juxtaocular tubercles conical, well developed and rising above vertex and dorsal margin of compound eyes ( Fig. 1d View FIGURE 1 ).

Thorax: pronotum short and compact, stouter in females ( Fig. 1e–f View FIGURE 1 ), supracoxal bulges developed, lateral margins with small denticles, metazona 1.3 times as long as prozona. Forecoxae longer than metazona ( Fig. 1f View FIGURE 1 ). Spination formula (sensu Rivera & Svenson, 2016): F=4DS/8–10AvS/4PvS; T=5–6AvS/1–3PvS. Foretibial spines of the anteroventral series (AvS) subdivided into two groups (g1 and g 2 in Fig. 1g View FIGURE 1 ): g1 consists in 2–3 very small, proximal spines, whereas g2 consists of three much larger, equidistant spines. Foretibial spines of the posteroventral series (PvS) distally located ( Fig. 1h View FIGURE 1 ). Tibial spines exhibiting weak, ventral microserrulations, which are somewhat more conspicuous along the tip of the tibial apical spur of females. Males: forewings narrow, hyaline, smoky grey with scattered dark spots along longitudinal veins and cells, cross-veins often darkened at their point of insertion. Hindwings hyaline and colourless, often exhibiting a few dark spots near costal margin. Females wingless.

Abdomen: slender and cylindrical in both sexes, although slightly dilated in females. Abdominal terga exhibiting a small, median process, the same are slightly larger distally (especially in females, Fig. 1i View FIGURE 1 ); ventral phallomere as in Fig. 1j View FIGURE 1 .

Distribution. Western slopes of the central Andes of Peru and adjacent Pacific lowlands.

Etymology. The generic epithet combines the word “Pisco”, and the word “mantis”, meaning “prophet” in ancient Greek, a common termination in many praying mantis genera. The new genus name refers to “Pisco”, the celebrated Peruvian national spirit native of Pisco, a town in central Peru where it is produced and where this group of praying mantises is also found. Gender is feminine.

Remarks. Beier (1935a) described Galapagia peruana on the basis of one female holotype and four females paratypes from an unknown locality in Peru; one paratype and its labels are portrayed in Figs 1a–c View FIGURE 1 .

Piscomantis and true Galapagia View in CoL share several morphological similarities that suggest a close relationship, such as the conformation of their heads (compare Fig. 1d View FIGURE 1 with Fig. 1k View FIGURE 1 ), forelegs (compare Figs 1g –h View FIGURE 1 with Figs 1p–q View FIGURE 1 ) and male genital structures (compare Fig. 1j View FIGURE 1 with Fig. 1r View FIGURE 1 ). Their likely affinities are supported by the longrecognized biogeographic connection between the biota from these archipelagic islands and the Pacific coast of South America, largely influenced by the south-north direction of the Humboldt current ( Peck, 2001; Lanteri, 2001). However, the mainland species exhibits important genus-level differences that depart from the morphology of Galapagia solitaria View in CoL , the type species of the genus and biogeographically confined to the Galapagos Islands. Piscomantis differs from Galapagia View in CoL in having a much stouter and compact built; as a result, pronotal proportions are radically different. Galapagia peruana exhibit a metazona that is 1.3 times as long as the prozona ( Fig. 1e–f View FIGURE 1 ), whereas the same is 1.9–2.2 times in insular Galapagia solitaria View in CoL , where the lateral edges of the prozona are more markedly parallel ( Fig. 1l–o View FIGURE 1 ). Another distinct difference is that in Galapagia peruana the forecoxae are longer than the metazona, whereas in Galapagia solitaria View in CoL the same are slightly shorter than the metazona. Overall, Galapagia solitaria View in CoL exhibits a more typical stick-like Thespini habitus (see type of Galapagia solitaria in Svenson, 2014c View in CoL ). Differences among females include the small tergal lobes of Galapagia View in CoL . peruana ( Fig. 1i View FIGURE 1 ), which are lacking in Galapagia solitaria View in CoL .

Given these evident morphological differences and the biogeographic separation, we proposed the new genus Piscomantis to accommodate Galapagia peruana .

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Mantodea

Family

Thespidae

Loc

Piscomantis

Rivera, Julio & Vergara-Cobián, Clorinda 2017
2017
Loc

Piscomantis

Rivera & Vergara-Cobián 2017
2017
Loc

Piscomantis

Rivera & Vergara-Cobián 2017
2017
Loc

Piscomantis

Rivera & Vergara-Cobián 2017
2017
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia solitaria

in Svenson 2014
2014
Loc

Galapagia peruana

Beier 1935
1935
Loc

Galapagia peruana

Beier 1935
1935
Loc

peruana

Beier 1935
1935
Loc

Galapagia peruana

Beier 1935
1935
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