Arthropods • Earth.com

South American dead leaf mantis

(Acanthops falcataria)

galery

Description

Acanthops falcataria, common name South American dead leaf mantis, is a species of mantis in the family Acanthopidae. It is not to be confused with Acanthops falcata, a different species in the same genus that is often referred to with the same common name. A. falcataria is one of many mantis species from various genera that resemble a dead leaf. Acanthops species have an unusual degree of sexual dimorphism compared to other mantids. The flightless female resembles a curled dead leaf and weighs twice as much as the male. It has reduced wings that can be lifted to reveal brightly colored warning colors on the abdomen. The male flies well and has long functional wings that resemble a flat or rolled-up dead leaf at rest. When perched, males often assume a posture where the head, grasping legs and prothorax add to the camouflage by recreating the appearance of a dead leaf's shriveled petiole and stipules. It is native to South America. Acanthops is a genus of mantises in the family Acanthopidae, containing 20 species that can be found in Central and South America. Most species in Acanthops are colloquially referred to as the dead leaf mantis, a common name also used for species in several other mantid genera. The genus name translates from the Greek nouns and as "thorn eye", referring to the presence in all Acanthops species of a shorter or longer conical tubercle on top of each eye. Note that such ocular tubercles also occur in various other mantid genera. Acanthops species have an unusual degree of sexual dimorphism compared to other mantids. The flightless female resembles a curled dead leaf folded back on itself, and weighs twice as much as the males do. It has reduced wings that can be raised to reveal bright warning colors on the abdomen. The male has long functional wings that resemble a flat or rolled-up dead leaf at rest. When perched, males often assume a posture where the head, grasping legs and prothorax add to the camouflage effect by recreating the appearance of a dead leaf's shriveled petiole and stipules.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Mantodea
Family:Acanthopidae
Genus:Acanthops
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