After one year blogging about bugs, I find it most difficult to write about animals with uncertain classification. There is no golden thread in my search, what means there is nothing and everything at the same time. I started attempts to write about the large green mantis one year ago. I think I got it now.
How difficult taxonomy is can be seen in this example of a large green mantis. As a former bug-keeper, the first name in my mind is Hierodula. H. venosa and H. membranacea were under the most common mantis species in the hobby. The genus Hierodula is considered a “bucket genus” – you place all large green mantises from Asia here, because there are so many, and they are difficult to sort. Meanwhile there are over 100 species described, and for sure some are double, triple or quadruple, or do not belong into this genus at all. There are two issues: First, one species can have different color variations, it might be green or brown for example. You might describe them as different species. Second, there aren’t too many features on a mantis, that would allow for a clear differentiation. We can easily tell an Orca from a sperm whale, but when species look similar, even a new whale species can be discovered, like this one in 2021! There are about 90 species of whales, similar to Hierodula. The safest way to distinguish species is the genetic data. But this technology is only recently used. Most people will use coloration as a “safe” way to define the species, like XY has a white patch, or XYZ is darker, but this is not professional or reliable. The genitals would be a better way. Let’s try this with our mantis.
In Singapore some sources name H. patellifera and H. venosa. In 2021 a new species, H. coarctata was described for the first time in Singapore.
Information about the species in Singapore are rare. Biodiversity of Singapore lists one Hierodula species, and one similar looking Rhombodera (note the wider neck, or pronotum). Inaturalist lists H. venosa and H. patellifera as most comonly seen species in Singapore, and provides some good info! H. chinensis and H. membranacea seem to be not in Singapore. Since mantises are kept as pets illegally, and some might be released, I would expect other species being introduced to Singapore as well. From the pictures on inaturalist and other websites I collected those features for the usually shown mantises under following names:
Without any guarantee for correctness, I would say that the chest of a large, green, adult mantis can be a more reliable feature for ID than the arms. They will show the chest and the inner arms as a defense pose.
From the five species we compared, only membranacea has the chest colored in the same way as the body is (green or brown). Venosa and chinensis have a pinkish chest, and unfortunately look also very similar else. Both have yellowish inner arms with darker spines. Chinensis can have dark tarsi on the front arms and looks a bit more slender. Maybe the region helps – when you’re in China it is more likely to be chinensis. Coarcta has a yellow-dark-yellow patch (unfortunately there is no photo in Foo & Yeap 2021 showing this properly), while patellifera has a yellow-dark-yellow patch. If that’s not clear enough, coarcta has large triangle shaped white patches on the wings while patellifera has very small oval patches. I don’t believe that it is possible to determine the species of juvenile mantises. Maybe we try with the next species?!
The issue with my table is, that is relies on the identification others did. What you need is the original description, and if that is not of enough details, the type specimen which is hopefully existent, and in good shape. As always, mantises have been described for hundreds of years, and the first given name has to be kept. So if for example a description does not allow for a clear ID, and the type specimen is lost or useless, this species cannot be identified. With DNA analysis, we won’t be able to clarify how many Hierodula species exist.
Anyway because of the absence of white patches on the wings, and the absence of a pattern on the chest (it is more yellowish than pinkish), and the fact that the mantis was found in Singapore, I guess it is what we would call Hierodula venosa. If it isn’t a Hierodula at all, ignore this post. Of course it could be any other genus, what it totally ignored in my thoughts. H. venosa was described by Olivier in 1792. That’s 230 years ago! Only four years later it was again described as H. conspurcata, and within 113 years it was again described under seven other names, which are now considered synonyms. These names aren’t used anymore.
And one last thing: It is “Praying” mantis because it looks as if they pray. In fact they prey. Insects, reptiles, arachnids and almost everything they can grab will be eaten. So “Preying” mantis makes much more sense.
The large male I found wasn’t of sound mind. He was so eager to climb on my phone, that I had to keep a distance. It was either too close for a photo, or a bit too far away. I guess this was due to the shear need to find females asap. I was just the next best option to climb up and probably fly away?! Male mantises won’t eat much and won’t live long.
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