''Titanodula grandis'', also known as the giant Asian mantis, 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 ...

native to the region around the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

in southern Asia. It is found in north-eastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. It is a large mantis which grows up to 4 inches long.

Taxonomy

''T. grandis'' was originally placed in ''

Hierodula ''Hierodula'' is a genus of praying mantids in the tribe Hierodulini, found throughout Asia. Many species are referred to by the common name giant Asian mantis because of their large size compared to other mantids. Their large size and vibrant ...

'', but a 2020 study moved the species to a new genus, ''

Titanodula ''Titanodula'' is a genus of Mantidae, mantids in the subfamily Hierodulinae. There are currently five species placed in ''Titanodula''. The genus is Endemism, endemic to Asia and is distinguished from the similar genus ''Hierodula'' by the large ...

'', based on its large size and the unique shape of the male genitalia.Xavier H.C. Vermeersch. 2020. ''Titanodula'' gen. nov., A New Genus of Giant Oriental Praying Mantises (Mantodea: Mantidae: Hierodulinae). ''Belgian Journal of Entomology.'' ''100'': 1–18.

References

Hierodulinae Mantodea of Asia Insects of India Insects of Bangladesh Insects of Myanmar Insects described in 1870 {{Hierodula-stub