Mantodea: India
This is an extract from FAUNAL DIVERSITY IN INDIA Edited by J. R. B. Alfred A. K. Das A. K. Sanyal. ENVIS Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. 1998 ( J. R. B. Alfred was Director, Zoological Survey of India) |
Contents |
Faunal Diversity in India: Mantodea
Introduction
The insects of this order is popularly known as "Praying mantis"-because of the habit of adults in holding their grasping forelegs in "namaste" posture while waiting for the prey. They are carnivorous insects. Their body is elongated, specially the prothorax and the forelegs are long and spinous for capturing prey. Cannibalism is "ery frequent among them. Particularly after successful mating. Teritoriality also exhibited by exposure of marks or body or by making sound. Body colour green or pale brown. Nymphs are mostly ant mimic, adult take various forms sfor their protective and both defensive and offensive behaviours are exhibited by them.
Mantids were previously considered to belong to order Dictyophera. But Burmeister (1838) considered them under Mantodea for their distinctive features. They are close to Isoptera and recorded as early as the oligocene period.
Status Of The Taxon
Global and Indian Status
About 432 genera and 2310 species are known from the world. There are 162 species, distributed over 6 families, 19 subfamilies and 68 genera are known from India.
Distribution
The mantids occur in all places of the Indian sub-continent from plains to hills ranging in altitude of more than 7000 ft. These insects generally prefer altitude of about 3500 ftto 4500 ft. As mantids are mostly weak fliers, they generally found in herbs and shurbs. But younger forms are usually found in trees.They are mostly found during early part of the day on leaves or open areas on plants where other insects often visit. TI1l'Y are also attracted to light. The mantids are apparently and opted to the different climatic zones of India. In central India most species occur during winter while in northeast India; they occur in maximum number during monsoon. The influence of south-west monsoon of mantids in western parts of Tamil Nadu and in Kerala is seen in March and April. The valleys below 200 m are probably least preferred habitat. This pattern is however, dependent on the occurrence of tropical rain forests in those altitudinal zones. The species inhabiting arid and semi-arid region of India become active after sun-set to avoid desiccation. The data so far available their most preferred habitat is north east India from where maximum genera and species received (44 genera and 86 species).
The oriental Region shows much habitat diversity and closer faunal affinity with Ethiopian and the Australian Regions rather than with the Neotropical or the Holarctic Regions. There are 44 genera and 86 species in North-Eastern regions of India while 35 genera and 45 species occur in Southern India. The distribution pattern of genera and species in India, is given in Table 1. This is based on specimens examined as well as records from Literature. Table -1 State-wise distribution of mantids in India
Biological Diversity And Its Special Features
Fourteen subfamilies of mantids are common to the oriental and the Ethiopian regions. These are Oxyothespinae, Iridopteryginae, Amelinae, Tarachodinae, Liturgusinae, Catiridinae, Thespinae, Acromantinae, Hymenopodinae, Toxoderinae, Empusinae, Belpharodinae, Deroplatinae, and Eremiaphilinae.
Six subfamilies of mantids are common to the oriental and the Neotropical regions, viz. Acromantinae, Amorphoscelinae, Hymenopodinae, Choeradodinae, Liturgusinae, and Thespinae. Four subfamilies of mantids are common to the oriental and the Palaearctic Regions, viz. Oxythespinae, Iridopteryginae, Amelinae and Empusinae. Only two subfamilies, Amelinae and Thespinae are common between the oriental and the Nearctic Regions.
The mantids subfamilies common to the Australian and the Oriental Regions are Ividopteryginae and Toxoderinae. Many genera are common in the Indo-sustralian Area, or related genera occur in different parts of the Indo-Australian area. Beier (1964) pointed out that there is a transgradation of certain genera from the Malayan Peninsula and Sunda Archipelago to Eastern India and Sri Lanka subregion is comparatively richer in endemism than the Indian subregion. Similar transgradation is also observed with the fauna of the Palaearctic Region by the presence of several common subfamilies as mentioned above. Kaltenbach (1982) recorded 20 genera of mantids from the Arabian Peninsula of which 6 are common with India. Among these the desert genus Eremiap1lila has been recorded from Western India. Similarly the Blepharopsis has been recorded from Rajasthan (India), Arabia, Canary Island, North and North-West Africa, West Asia, Iran, Palestine and Afganistan. Empusa has a more extended distribution from Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, through Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan of India to South Arabia, probably Iran and Baluchistan and North Attica. At least 3 genera, viz. Iris, Matis and Hierodula occur inthe orient, Ethiopian and the Palaerctic regions.
Hapalopeza and Nanomantis are found in West Bengal and South India. These are again known from the Australian region. Some of the COmmon North-Eastern Indian species, viz., Acromantis gongllls are also represented in the Palaearctic region. However, there is probably no genus common to India and the Nearctic Region although two subfamilies are common in distribution.
Endemicity
The endemic families are subfamilies of mantids occurring in the Oriental region are metallyticidae, Schizocephalinae, Phyllothelinae and Parathespinae. Several endemic genera belonging to Hymenopotidae, Amelinae, Iridopterydinae,Toxoderinae, Haaniinae and Deroplatynae are also known. The study reveals that 24 genera and 86 species are endemic to India.
Threatened And Introduced Species
The detailed data regarding threatened species in India is not available However, our field observation reveal that at least 10 genera and 40 species under this order are threatened. There is no record of introduction of any species to India from other countries.
Value
The praying mantids are carnivorous insects. They playa vital role in Biological control of insects pests.
The adult mantids consume veraciously both nymphs and adult of grasshopper pests in the paddy fields. Hazra and Mukherjee (1983) observed in the laboratory that the 5th instar nymphs of the praying mantid Euantissa pulc1lra consumed as many as 21.66 nos. Dipterans per day by a single numph of the mantid. Another important value of this insect was also studied by the same authors that in E. plllcllra that there occured a gradual changes in colour from black through brown to green. The first and second nymphs were black and very similar to black ants. During these two stages the colour was of protective type for the helpless nymphs. In adult the green colour of the body matched uniquily with green leaves making it difficult to spot out by their enemies and prey.
Threats
The shrinkage of habitat particularly tropical rain forests areas in the country is the major threat as mantids are predominent in tropical rainforests. Moreover, extensive use of prestisides and insecticides in the crop fields also reduces their numerous very fast.
Conservation Strategies And Future Studies
To protect these beautiful beneficial creatures the tropical rainforests should be protected and also the application of high doses insecticide should be banned near tropical rainforest areas.
The U.S. and European countries are now very keen to collect Oothecae (eggs) from different countries for rearing them in the laboratory. We also can conserve by keeping their germplasm in gene banks.
Selective References
Burmeister, H. 1838. Handbllsh der Entomologie, band 2, Berlin. Giglio-Tos, E. 1927. Orlhoplera-Manlodea Das Ticrreich, 50 : 1-707, Berlin. Mukherjee, T. K and Hazra, A. K. 1983. On a small collection of Mantidae (Dictyoptera) from Maharashtra, India, with the description of a new species. Rec. zool. Sllrv. India, 80 : 459-465. Mukherjee, T. K, Hazra, A. K. and Ghosh, A. K 1995. The Mantid fauna of India (Insecta: Mantodea) Oriental Ins., 29: 85-358. Wood-Mason, J. 1891. A catalogue of the Mantodea present in the collection of the Indian Museum, No.2: 49-66, Calcutta.
