''Acanthops'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate a ...

es in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Acanthopidae Acanthopidae is a family of South American mantises consisting of 16 genera in the order Mantodea. The group was first formally split off as a separate family by the German entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntom ...

, containing 20

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

that can be found in Central and South America.

Description

Most species in ''Acanthops'' are colloquially referred to as the

dead leaf mantis Dead leaf mantis is a common name given to various species of praying mantis that mimicry, mimic dead leaf, leaves. It is most often used in reference to species within genus ''Deroplatys'' because of their popularity as exotic pets. Examples i ...

, a common name also used for species in several other mantid genera. The genus name translates from the Greek nouns ''ἄκανθα'' and ''ὅψ'' as "thorn eye", referring to the presence in all ''Acanthops'' species of a shorter or longer conical

tubercle In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projectio ...

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 Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

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 The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ...

add to the

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

effect by recreating the appearance of a dead leaf's shriveled

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

and

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

Taxonomy

The following species are currently considered valid:https://www.gbif.org/species/1404248 ''Acanthops'' entry in GBIF 1500leafmantis closecropDSC4637 DxO

*'' Acanthops bidens'' Hebard, 1922 *'' Acanthops boliviana'' Chopard, 1916 *'' Acanthops brunneri'' Saussure, 1871 *'' Acanthops centralis'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops coloradensis'' González, Miller & J Salazar, 2011 *'' Acanthops contorta'' Gerstaecker, 1889 *'' Acanthops elegans'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops erosa'' Serville, 1839 *'' Acanthops erosula'' Stal, 1877 *'' Acanthops falcata'' Stal, 1877 *'' Acanthops falcataria'' (Goeze, 1778) *'' Acanthops fuscifolia'' (Olivier, 1792) *'' Acanthops godmani'' Saussure & Zehntner, 1894 *'' Acanthops occidentalis'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops onorei'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops parafalcata'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops parva'' Beier, 1941 *'' Acanthops royi'' Lombardo & Ippolito, 2004 *'' Acanthops soukana'' Roy, 2002

References

External links

''Acanthops'' entry in Mantodea Species File website''Acanthops'' images at Project Noah
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1995165 Acanthopidae Mantodea of South America Mantodea genera Taxa named by Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville

Description

Taxonomy

See also

References

External links