''Tarachodes maurus'' is a

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), ...

praying 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 ...

in the family Eremiaphilidae. It was first described by the Swiss entomologist

Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure (; ; 27 November 1829 – 20 February 1905) was a Swiss people, Swiss mineralogist, taxonomist and entomologist specialising in studies of hymenopteroid and Polyneoptera, orthopteroid insects. Education, ca ...

in 1871. It has been placed in either subgenus ''Chiropacha'' or subgenus ''Tarachodes''.

Description

An adult female ''Tarachodes maurus'' has a flattened body. The upper surface is a mottled brownish-grey, while the underside is brightly coloured with patches of pale blue and orange; both thorax and abdomen are liberally spattered with black spots. The labrum is red and the appendages are black, their edges being rimmed with yellow.

Ecology

''T. maurus'' is a cryptic species. Its color

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 ...

s it against the tree bark, but if a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

detects it and approaches from the front, the mantis rears up on its hind limbs, displaying its aposematic colouring to startle and scare away the assailant. When a predator approaches from behind, this response is not elicited. J. C. Faure observed a brooding female ''T. maurus'' in a peach orchard in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

in December 1939. He found that the female ''T. maurus'' broods a batch of eggs with her abdomen partially concealing it. She does not move about while brooding the eggs but as an

ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey u ...

, attacks and feeds on any prey that came within reach. Unlike the closely related species '' Tarachodes afzelii'', the female plays no part in the development of the eggs apart from brooding them. After a month or two, they hatch and the

nymphs A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

crawl away and disperse. The eggs would probably hatch even if the female were removed, but her presence is likely to lessen egg predation, and she can also try to prevent a

parasitic wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps ( Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causi ...

from attacking them.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7685229 maurus Insects described in 1871

Description

Ecology

See also

References