Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-12
Page range: 75-87
Abstract views: 137
PDF downloaded: 9

Taxonomic revision of the Oriental dead-leaf mantis genus Parablepharis Saussure, 1870 (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae), with description of a new species from the eastern Himalayas

Marine Aquarium & Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Digha; West Bengal 721428; India
Western Ghat Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Kozhikode 673006; Kerala; India
Mantodea Hymenopodidae Parablepharis new species India Arunachal Pradesh taxonomy

Abstract

The Oriental dead-leaf mantis genus Parablepharis Saussure, 1870 is revised. Previously treated as a single polytypic species, the genus is reassessed based on newly collected material from Arunachal Pradesh, India and a critical review of the Parablepharis kuhlii complex. The existing subspecies are herein elevated to species rank, accompanied by the description of Parablepharis indica sp. nov. from northeastern India representing the westernmost distribution of the genus. The three species—Parablepharis kuhlii (de Haan, 1842), Parablepharis asiatica Roy, 2008 stat. nov., and Parablepharis indica sp. nov.—are distinguished by stable configurations in prothoracic proportions (P/p ratio), subgenital plate morphology, and male genitalia. This study highlights the Eastern Himalayan corridor as a significant site of speciation for relictual Hymenopodidae. A revised key, updated morphological notes, and a discussion of the biogeographic significance of the eastern Himalayan corridor are provided.

References

  1. Beier, M. (1930) New and rare Mantodea (Orthoptera) in the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 10, 6 (6), 432–460, 5 fig. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933008673236
  2. Brannoch, S.K., Wieland, F., Rivera, J., Klass, K.-D., Béthoux, O. & Svenson, G.J. (2017) Manual of praying mantis morphology, nomenclature, and practices (Insecta, Mantodea). ZooKeys, 696, 1–100. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.696.12542
  3. de Haan, W. (1842) Bijdragen tot de Kennis der Orthoptera. Verhandelingen over de natuurlijke geschiedenis der nederlandsche over zeesche bezittingen door de leden der natuurkundige commissie in oost-Indië en andere schrijvers, 45–248, pl. h. t. 1, 1–23.
  4. Ehrmann, R. (2002) Mantode: Gottesanbeterinnen der Welt. Natur und Tier-Verlag GmbH, Münster, 519 pp., 56 fig., 32 pl. en couleurs
  5. Kamila, A.P. & Sureshan, P.M. (2022) An updated checklist of mantid fauna (Insecta: Mantodea) of India. Halteres, 13, 15–34.
  6. Mukherjee, T.K., Hazra, A.K. & Ghosh, A.K. (1995) The Mantid fauna of India (Insecta: Mantodea). Oriental Insects, 29, 185–358, 134 fig. https://doi.org/10.1080/00305316.1995.10433744
  7. Mukherjee, T.K., Iyer, G. & Chatterjee, P. (2017) Twenty-three new records of Mantodea (Insecta) from some states of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 9 (2), 9829–9839. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.1936.9.2.9829-9839
  8. Roy, R. (2008) Contribution à la connaissance du genre Parablepharis Saussure, 1870 (Mantodea). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 113 (1), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.3406/bsef.2008.16496
  9. Saussure, H. de. (1870) Additions au Système des Mantides. Mittheilungen der Schweizerischen entomologischen Gesellschaft, 3 (5), 221–244.
  10. Saussure, H. de. (1871) Mélangesorthoptérologiques, IIIe fascicule, IV, Mantides. Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d’Histoire naturelle de Genève, 21 (2), 1–214, pl. h.t. IV–VI.
  11. Schwarz, C.J. & Roy, R. (2019) The systematics of Mantodea revisited: an updated classification incorporating multiple data sources (Insecta: Dictyoptera). Annales de La Société Entomologique de France (N.S.), 55 (2), 101–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.2018.1556567
  12. Wood-Mason, J. (1878) On new and little-known Mantidae. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 38, 580–587, pls. XXXV–XXXVI.
  13. Zhang, W. & Wang, B. (1999) A new record genus and species of Mantidae (Mantodea) from China. Entomotaxonomia, 21 (4), 307–308, 1 fig.

How to Cite

Binoy, C. & Sureshan, P. (2026) Taxonomic revision of the Oriental dead-leaf mantis genus Parablepharis Saussure, 1870 (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae), with description of a new species from the eastern Himalayas. Zootaxa, 5831 (1), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5831.1.6