An interesting finding of a mantis on Crete/Greece (Dictyoptera: Mantodea: Mantidae: Mantinae: Paramantini)

Abstract

A recent finding of a mantis on the Greek island of Crete is reported and discussed. Additional information on the distribution and similarity of Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 and Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål, 1775) is given.

Full text

BVnPC, 7 (99): 142-145 (2018)
142
An interesting finding of a mantis on Crete/Greece (Dictyoptera: Mantodea:
Mantidae: Mantinae: Paramantini)
Un hallazgo interesante de una mantis en Creta/Grecia (Dictyoptera: Mantodea: Mantidae:
Mantinae: Paramantini)
Torsten van der Heyden
Member of the editorial board of BV news Publicaciones Científicas – Hamburg (Germany) –
tmvdh@web.de
ABSTRACT: A recent finding of a mantis on the Greek island of Crete is reported and discussed.
Additional information on the distribution and similarity of Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von
Wattenwyl, 1878 and Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål, 1775) is given.
KEY WORDS: Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878, Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål,
1775), Paramantini, Mantidae, Mantodea, distribution, first record, Crete, Greece.
RESUMEN: Se presenta y discute un hallazgo reciente de una mantis en la isla griega de Creta. Se da
información adicional acerca de la distribución y similitud de Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von
Wattenwyl, 1878, y Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål, 1775).
PALABRAS CLAVE: Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878, Sphodromantis viridis
(Forskål, 1775), Paramantini, Mantidae, Mantodea, distribución, primera cita, Creta, Grecia.
Introduction
Recently, a specimen of a mantis belonging to the tribe Paramantini was observed and photographed
on the Greek island of Crete. Based on the photograph it is not possible to determine the species without any
doubt. The specimen might be a female of Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 or of
Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål, 1775). Nevertheless, the finding should be published here because neither of
the two species has been reported from Crete in scientific publications, yet.
The genus Hierodula Burmeister, 1838 includes more than 100 species. Most of them have been
reported from Africa, Asia and Australia (PATEL & SINGH, 2016; OTTE et al., 2018).
H. transcaucasica, commonly known as Giant Asian Mantis, has been reported from Afghanistan,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan
(BATTISTON & MASSA, 2008; EHRMANN, 2011; GHAHARI & NASSER, 2014; PATEL & SINGH, 2016).
Furthermore, it is spreading in the area of the Greek islands (BATTISTON et al., 2017).
The genus Sphodromantis Stål, 1871 includes nearly 40 species. Most of them are distributed in
Africa (PATEL & SINGH, 2016; OTTE et al., 2018).
S. viridis, commonly known as Giant African Mantis or Bush Mantis, has been reported from
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya,

BVnPC, 7 (99): 142-145 (2018)
143
Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen
(DELFOSSE, 2000; EHRMANN, 2011; PATEL & SINGH, 2016; SAMIN et al., 2016; BATTISTON et al., 2017;
DOMENECH FERNÁNDEZ, 2018).
Finding of a mantis on Crete
On 24-VII-2018, a female mantis was observed and photographed in the village of Kouses in the
regional unit of Heraklion, near the southern coast of Crete (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1: Female mantis, Kouses, Crete, Greece, 24-VII-2018, (VAN DER HEYDEN, 2018).
https://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Paramantini-img1019338.html
The observation took place at about 4:00 p.m. local time. The specimen was sitting on a plant of
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Apiaceae) at the rim of a rural road. Different larval stages of Papilio machaon
Linnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) as well as adults of Graphosoma lineatum (Linnaeus, 1758) and
the endemic form creticum of Graphosoma semipunctatum (Fabricius, 1775) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
were observed on the same plant.

BVnPC, 7 (99): 142-145 (2018)
144
Discussion
First, the observed specimen was determined as a female of H. transcaucasica. But as mentioned
above and taking into account its characteristics visible in figure 1 as well as recent trends of the expansion
of the respective distribution areas, it could be either a female of H. transcaucasica or of S. viridis.
H. transcaucasica and S. viridis are very similar species. The main characteristics to distinguish
them are the fore coxal spines and the pronotum seen from the top (Roberto Battiston and Frank Wieland,
personal comments). Based on photographs, the two species can be confused if these characteristics cannot
be seen.
On the one hand, H. transcaucasica seems to spread out on the Greek islands, although specific
records to prove this have not been published, yet. On the other hand, S. viridis has recently spread out on the
Mediterranean islands (Roberto Battiston, personal comment) and might have arrived on Crete. Nevertheless,
the presence of S. viridis on the Greek islands is uncertain (BATTISTON et al., 2017).
Thus, at the moment and without more records from the island it cannot be unequivocally
determined which of the two species has reached Crete. In any case, the record reported in this publication is
the first one of the species in question for Crete.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Simone Andria (Seneghe, Italy), Roberto Battiston (Valstagna, Italy), José
Ramón Correas (Collado Villalba, Spain), Miguel Domenech (Albacete, Spain), Reinhard Ehrmann
(Karlsruhe, Germany), Álvaro Izuzquiza (Madrid, Spain), Kai Schütte (Hamburg, Germany) and Frank
Wieland (Bad Dürkheim, Germany) for helpful information. Furthermore, I would like to thank my
colleague Emilio Herrero for reviewing the Spanish parts of this paper.
References
BATTISTON, R., ANDRIA, S. & RUZZANTE, G. (2017). The silent spreading of a giant mantis: a critical update
on the distribution of Sphodromantis viridis (Forskål, 1775) in the Mediterranean islands (Mantodea:
Mantidae). Onychium, 13: 25-30.
BATTISTON, R. & MASSA, B. (2008). The Mantids of Caucasus (Insecta Mantodea). Atti della Accademia
Roveretana degli Agiati, VIII (VIII, B): 5-28.
DELFOSSE, E. (2000). L'élevage des mantes africaines du genre Sphodromantis (Stal, 1871) (Insecta,
Mantodea, Mantidae, Mantinae). lnsectes, 119: 21-22.
DOMENECH FERNÁNDEZ, M. (2018). Sphodromantis viridis ((Forskål, 1775): primeras citas en Castilla-La
Mancha y Cataluña (Dictyoptera: Mantodea: Mantidae). BV news Publicaciones Científicas, 7 (89):
35-43.
EHRMANN, R. (2011). Mantodea from Turkey and Cyprus (Dictyoptera: Mantodea). Articulata, 26 (1): 1-42.
GHAHARI, H. & NASSER, M. G. E.-D. (2014). A contribution to the knowledge of the Mantodea (Insecta)
fauna of Iran. Linzer biologische Beiträge, 46 (1): 665-673.
OTTE, D., SPEARMAN, L. & STIEWE, M. B. D. (2018). Mantodea Species File Online. Version 5.0/5.0 [Online
database]. Available from:
http://Mantodea.SpeciesFile.org.
[Accessed on 2-VIII-2018].
PATEL, S. & SINGH, R. (2016). Updated Checklist and Distribution of Mantidae (Mantodea : Insecta) of the
World. International Journal of Research Studies in Zoology (IJRSZ), 2 (4): 17-54.
SAMIN, N., GHAHARI, H. & KATBEH-BADR, A. (2016). A faunistic study on the Mantodea (Insecta) from
western Iran. Norwegian Journal of Entomology, 63: 116-119.
VAN DER HEYDEN, T. (2018). Paramantini. Photograph to be found on BiodiversidadVirtual.org [Online
database]. Available from:
https://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/insectarium/Paramantini-img1019338.html.
[Accessed on 2-VIII-2018].

BVnPC, 7 (99): 142-145 (2018)
145