Titanodula Vermeersh, 2020

Liu, Qin-Peng, Liu, Zi-Jun, Wang, Guo-Li & Yin, Zi-Xu, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the praying mantis subfamily Hierodulinae of China (Mantodea: Mantidae), Zootaxa 4951 (3), pp. 401-433 : 421

Genus Titanodula Vermeersh, 2020

Titanodula Vermeersh, 2020: 5 .

Type species: Titanodula attenboroughi Vermeersch, 2020: 6 .

Diagnosis. Large-sized; Ventral cxl of forelegs darkened or black ventrad; the base of 2 nd, 10 th, and 15 th AvfS more or less darkened or with black spots respectively; basal sclerite L2 widen; sdp bifurcate at apical sclerite L4A, with sdpl and sdpm relatively short, both of them about the same size.

Diversity and distribution. Vermeersch (2020) combined three Hierodula species and a new species to the genus Titanodula Vermeersch, 2020 , of which T. formosana Giglio-Tos, 1912 comes from China. Species in this genus show remarkable similarity in external morphology, especially in females. This study examined the specimens in this genus from the south coasts and Yunnan in China, revealing that the shape and ratio of sdp and sclerite L4A are more stable and useful to delimitation species, while the length of pafa could be variable intraspecies. We proposed a new species and a new synonymy basing on mainly the justification above. Now four species are recorded in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.