Hyalomantis Giglio-Tos, 1915

Svenson, Gavin J. & Roy, Roger, 2011, Taxonomic treatment of the endemic Malagasy praying mantis genus Hyalomantis GIGLIO-TOS, 1915, with a new synonymy and the description of three new species (Mantodea, Iridopterygidae, Tropidomantinae), Zootaxa 2777, pp. 1-24 : 2-3

Hyalomantis Giglio-Tos, 1915

Miopteryx : SAUSSURE, 1870: 236; SAUSSURE, 1871: 122.

Platycalymma ?: WESTWOOD, 1889: 40; KIRBY, 1904: 228 (partim); OTTE & SPEARMAN, 2005: 125 (partim).

Tropidomantis : SAUSSURE & ZEHNTNER, 1895: 164; KIRBY, 1904: 227 (partim).

Hyalomantis : GIGLIO-TOS, 1915: 44; GIGLIO-TOS, 1927: 137; BEIER, 1935: 57; PAULIAN, 1957: 31; BEIER, 1964: 947; BEIER, 1968: 10; ROY, 1987: 121; EHRMANN, 2002: 189; OTTE & SPEARMAN, 2005: 122 (partim).

Type species: Miopteryx madagascariensis SAUSSURE, 1870.

New diagnosis. Habitus ( Figs. 1 & 2 ): Small mantises (length from head to tip of abdomen 15–30 mm), pale green

with both sexes fully winged. All species with a short pronotum that is equal to or less than the length of the fore-

coxa. Compressed dorso-ventrally.

Head ( Figs. 3 & 4 ): Head is wider than long with a straight or slightly concave vertex medially, but becoming convex laterally before abutting the eyes. The eyes are rounded and bulge outside the profile of the head both laterally and anteriorly. Ocelli are large in males while slightly reduced in females; all reside on a slightly elevated expansion of the cuticle giving them a subtly pronounced position in the center of the head. The frontal sclerite is highly transverse and flat; the medial section of the upper edge extends between the antennal insertion sites and accommodates for the position of the central ocellus; the lower margin is slightly to noticeably concave. The clypeus has a convex upper margin with non-parallel lateral margins that are most distant at the upper corners; the lower margin is either straight or forming a small medial lip with an otherwise concave margin. The antennae are pale and filiform, but very thin in females. The palpi are pale in both sexes and usually have a darkened terminus.

Pronotum ( Figs. 5 & 6 ): The pronotum is equal to or slightly more than twice as long as wide with a distinctive keel medially on the dorsal surface of the prozone and metazone as is characteristic of the Tropidomantinae . The metazone is variably narrowed across the four species. The lateral edge and the dorsal surface of the pronotum is smooth.

Forelegs: Forelegs have slender, long coxae with smooth edges. The femora retain the claw groove in the basal third and exhibit 3 discoidal, 4 external, and 12–13 internal spines. The femora are crenulated between and distal of the external spines. The tibiae have 11–15 external and 10–13 internal spines with the basitarsomere much longer than the remaining segments combined.

Meso- and Metathoracic Legs: Legs are rather long and thin; the basitarsomere about as long as the remaining segments combined for the mesothoracic legs, longer for the metathoracic legs.

Wings: Forewings a pale green hyaline in males, opaque in females; the subcostal vein is nearest to the radial in the first half, somewhat distant thereafter; the stigma is inconspicuous. Hindwings hyaline with the costal field more or less opaque.

Abdomen: Abdomen thin in males, moderately widened in females. Supra-anal plate about as long as wide, triangular with rounded apex, not overlaying the ovipositor in females; cerci elongate, circular in section. Male subgenital plate with convex margins, bearing rather long styli.

Oothecae ( Fig. 7 ): Known for only one species.

Male Genitalia ( Figs. 8–10 , illustrated from the ventral perspective): Male genitalia are barely sclerotized; right epiphallus of classic shape; titillator with rounded apex; pseudophallus also with rounded apex; hypophallus with small lobes.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hyalomantis, dorsal habitus. H. madagascariensis Saussure, 1870: A, male from Réserve naturelle Peyrieras (Nicolas Moulin phot.); B, female from Réserve naturelle Peyrieras (Nicolas Moulin phot.); C, male deposited in the MNHN (G. Svenson phot.); D, female deposited in the MNHN (G. Svenson phot.); E, female syntype of Saussure (reduced scale); F, male holotype of junior synonym H. punctata of Giglio-Tos (reduced scale; Martin Stiewe phot.); G, two live males from Réserve naturelle Peyrieras (H. m. 31; Bruno Mériguet phot.).

FIGURE 2. Hyalomantis, dorsal habitus. H. antsingica n. sp.: A, male holotype; B, female allotype. H. murzini n. sp.: C, male holotype; D, female allotype. H. whitingi n. sp.: E, male holotype; F, female paratype from Maroantsetra; G, living male paratype collected in Ranamafana National Park. (G. Svenson phot.).

FIGURE 3. Hyalomantis, illustrations of head from the anterior perspective. H. madagascariensis Saussure, 1870: A, male specimen; B, female syntype; C, male specimen with discrete frontal sclerite markings; D, female specimen with more pronounced frontal sclerite markings. H. antsingica n. sp.: E, male holotype; F, female allotype.

FIGURE 4. Hyalomantis, illustrations of head from the anterior perspective. H. murzini n. sp.: A, male holotype; B, female allotype. H. whitingi n. sp.: C, male holotype; D, female paratype from Beanana.

FIGURE 5. Hyalomantis, dorsal perspective of the pronotum. The supracoxal sulci are indicated by thicker transverse lines. H. madagascariensis Saussure, 1870: A, male; B, female. H. antsingica n. sp.: C, male holotype; D, female allotype. H. murzini n. sp.: E, male holotype; F, female allotype. H. whitingi n. sp.: G, male holotype; H, female paratype from Beanana.

FIGURE 6. Hyalomantis madagascariensis Saussure, 1870, dorsal perspective of nymphal pronotum and mesonotum. A, second to last instar collected on the island of Nosy Be (locality H. m. 48); B, last instar female collected at the same locality (H. m. 48); C, last instar male collected in Anabohazo Forest (locality H. m. 49).

FIGURE 7. Hyalomantis madagascariensis Saussure, 1870, ootheca laid by female collected at La Mandraka, Réserve naturelle Peyrieras (locality H. m. 31). A, lateral view; B, dorsal view. (Simon Poulain phot.)

FIGURE 8. Hyalomantis madagascariensis Saussure, 1870, illustrations of male genitalia from ventral perspective. A, preparation # 3941 Roy: left and right epiphallus and hypophallus; B, prep. # 0025 Svenson; C, prep. # 3945 Roy; D, prep. # 0020 Svenson; E, prep. # 0042 Svenson; F, prep. # 3942 Roy. –. 1, apophysis;. 2, hypophallus;. 3, left epiphallus.

FIGURE 9. Hyalomantis murzini n. sp., illustration of holotype male genitalia from ventral perspective showing the left and right epiphallus and hypophallus (genitalia preparation # 4057 Roy).

FIGURE 10. Hyalomantis whitingi n. sp., illustrations of male genitalia from ventral perspective. A, holotype (genitalia preparation # 3953 Roy): left and right epiphallus and hypophallus; B, paratype apophysis; C, paratype hypophallus and left epiphallus with pseudophallus and titillator (genitalia preparation # 0001 Svenson).