Phyllocrania paradoxa & Phyllocrania illudens

Some notes on the alleged invasion of P. illudens in continental Africa:

In the 19th century, Burmeister and Saussure & Zehnter gave this mantis two different species names merely based on different geographical origins. Phyllocrania illudens from Madagascar and Phyllocrania paradoxa of Africa (all of Africa south of Sahara) show no difference, which was long ago noted by Roger Roy (https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_10-11/12394.pdf) and other experts.
If one would like to stick to the idea of two or three look-alike species, it does not make sense to assume that these species would overlap in distribution and that P. illudens occurs in mainland Africa.

(1) According to original description P. illudens is told by the length and shape of the head process and the front legs being not rugose.

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2835319

Head process: dilated at tip, extremely long ribbon-like, obliquely cut off round asymmetrically, flat, carinate only at base, longer than the front femora.
Front legs: femora and tibiae almost smooth, on their external face, covered with rounded, spaced granulations.

(2) There is no scientific record of P. illudens from continental Africa.

(3) There are variations within and between the assumed P. paradoxa populations, each and every individual has its unique shape of head process.

(4) Identifications of P. illudens usually come from people involved in the pet trade industry or are based on descriptions and photos provided by this industry.

(5) "But for an animal so widely kept, shockingly little is known about its biology and behavior in its natural habitat. Nobody is even sure how many species of ghost mantids there are. Three species of the genus Phyllocrania have been described, only to be synonymized a few years ago. All three were recognized as separate species based on the differences in the shape of the leaf-like process on the head, which can vary wildly within the same population. Ghost mantids, like many other insects that rely on leaf-like camouflage, display an ungodly degree of polymorphism, and no two specimens are alike. But the species’ distribution, throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, hints at the possibility of distinct, genetically isolated lineages."
"No two individuals of ghost mantids are alike, which prevents their principal predators, birds and primates, from learning how to tell them apart from real leaves."
Quote from Piotr Naskreckis blog: https://thesmallermajority.com/2015/09/15/ghost-hunting/.

(6) Figures of P. illudens:
Note the very long head process!
Fig 39: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53546505
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/60696755

Posted on January 11, 2024 07:24 PM by traianbertau