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Issue: Vol. 5646 No. 3: 10 Jun. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-06-10
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5646.3.3
Page range: 351-399
Abstract views: 81
PDF downloaded: 6

Taxonomic revision and natural history of Metaphotina Piza, 1964 (Mantodea, Acontistidae)

Departamento de Entomologia; Museu Nacional; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Quinta da Boa Vista; São Cristóvão; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil.
Institute for Research in Sensing; College of Arts and Sciences; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati; OH; USA.
Departamento de Entomologia; Museu Nacional; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Quinta da Boa Vista; São Cristóvão; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; Brazil.
Institut de recherche en biologie végétale; Département de sciences biologiques; Université de Montréal; 4101 Sherbrooke East; Montreal; QC; Canada H1X 2B2; Montreal Insectarium; 4101 Sherbrooke St E; Montreal; Quebec; Canada H1X2B2.
Mantodea Taxonomy Acanthopoidea Myrmecomorphy Extrafloral nectaries Eastern South American Dry Diagonal

Abstract

The genus Metaphotina Piza, 1964 is revised based on comparative morphology. Three species are recognized: Metaphotina bimaculata (Saussure, 1870), Metaphotina austri Ferraz, Souza-Dias & Rivera, 2023, and a newly described species from Bahia, Brazil, Metaphotina akaraje sp. nov. Three new synonyms of M. bimaculata are established after a detailed analysis of primary type specimens and their taxonomic and nomenclatural history: Acontista brevipennis Saussure, 1872 syn. nov., Acontista rehni Giglio-Tos, 1927 syn. nov., and Metaphotina piracicabensis Piza, 1964 syn. nov. The analysis of distributional records confirm that Metaphotina is associated with semiarid environments across the eastern South American Dry Diagonal, mainly encompassing the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Chaco biomes. Field observations enabled the identification of the egg cases, discovering the ability of females to produce parthenogenetic offspring, and the recognition and formal description of the myrmecomorphic protonymph of M. bimaculata. Notably, we report on nymphs of M. bimaculata feeding on extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), marking the first known instance of praying mantises interacting with these plant structures. A dichotomous key, extensive graphic documentation of intra- and interspecific variation, and distribution maps are provided to facilitate the identification of Metaphotina spp..

 

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How to Cite

Ferraz, B.R., Queiroga, D., Souza-Dias, P.G.B. & Rivera, J. (2025) Taxonomic revision and natural history of Metaphotina Piza, 1964 (Mantodea, Acontistidae). Zootaxa, 5646 (3), 351–399. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5646.3.3