Amorphoscelis tigrina Giglio-Tos, 1913

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 : 13-16

Amorphoscelis tigrina Giglio-Tos, 1913

Figs. 24–29 , 40

Amorphoscelis tigrina Giglio-Tos, 1913: 10 .

Type locality. Thiès, Senegal.

Distribution. Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Bénin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon ( Giglio-Tos 1913; Gillon & Roy 1968; Prost & Roy 1986; Roy 1962b, 1967, 1969, 1971b, 1975, 1978).

Records. CSC: ♁, new station, 03.IV.–12.V.2017, M. Pohl leg. (genitalia preparation Schwarz No. 320); ♀, new station, 03.IV.–12.V.2017, M. Pohl leg.; 3 juv. ♁♁ + 4 juv. ♀♀, new station, 22.IV.–06.VI.2018, M. Pohl leg. (alc.); ♀, new station, 22.IV.–01.VI.2019, M. Pohl leg.

Remarks. Widely distributed across the Sudan savanna belt. Amorphoscelines are bark runners feeding mainly on ants ( Roy 1963; Schwarz 2018). The enlarged and partially blackened last segments of the cerci ( Fig. 40 ) are used for displaying during snake-like bending movements of the posterior half of the abdomen, a behavior analogous to the foreleg waving or “boxing” of other mantodeans.

Figures

FIGURES 24–29. Amorphoscelis tigrina Giglio-Tos, 1913. 24–25, 28. Female. 26–27, 29. Male. 24, 26. Dorsal view. 25, 27, 29. Ventral view. 28. Anterior view of head. 29. Genitalia.

FIGURES 40–41. Live aspects. 40. Amorphoscelis tigrina, female nymph. Note enlarged cercal segments. 41. Elaea marchali, female.