Phyllocrania paradoxa Burmeister, 1838

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 : 35-36

Phyllocrania paradoxa Burmeister, 1838

Figs. 112–115

Phyllocrania paradoxa Burmeister, 1838: 549 .

= Phyllocrania insignis Westwood, 1843: 51 , pl. 62, Fig. 1 .

= Phyllocrania illudens Saussure & Zehntner, 1895: 221−222 , pl. 10, Fig. 39 .

Type localities. (P. p.) Cape region, RSA; (P. in.) Sierra Leone; ( P. ill .) Imérina, Madagascar.

Distribution. Africa south of the Sahara, Madagascar ( Roy 1963, 1987 a, 2018).

Records. CSC: ♁ ♀, new station, 22.IV.–06.VI.2018, M. Pohl leg.

Remarks. The shape of the vertex process and of the pronotal and leg lobes varies considerably across the extensive range of the species, contrasting with low intraspecific variability observed in the male genitalia ( Roy 1963; pers. obs.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Vegetation map of the Comoé National Park, and its location in Ivory Coast (from OIPR 2017). Redefined Park borders after Ouattara (2018).

FIGURES 112–115. Phyllocrania paradoxa Burmeister, 1838. 112–113. Female. Note that the vertex process is partially missing in this specimen. 114–115. Male. 112, 114. Dorsal view. 113, 115. Ventral view.

FIGURES 36–39. Elaea marchali (Reiche & Fairmaire, 1847). 36–37. Female. 38–39. Male. 36, 38. Dorsal view. 37, 39. Ventral view.