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| Carrikerella simpira
Rivera & Callohuari, 2020
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Abstract
A new species of lichen-mimicking praying mantis, Carrikerella simpira n. sp., is described from Tingo María region in Peru. The new species differs from its congeners in having reduced tergal lobes, a relatively sinuous pronotum, and it is found in the highland tropical rainforest of the Central Andes. Behavioral observations conducted on captive individuals revealed that juveniles and adults hunt by impaling prey using modified foretibial structures. Anatomical examinations of the incumbent trophic structures revealed functional adaptations for prey impaling in the foretibiae, primarily consisting of prominent, forwardly oriented, barbed spines. We provide an overall description of this novel hunting behavior in Mantodea and hypothesize on its evolutionary origin and adaptive significance for the Thespidae.
Keywords: Heterochrony, mimicry, behavior, 3D printing, Carrikerella
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| Carrikerella simpira, adult female specimen feeding on Trupanea sp. (Tephritidae, approx. 5.5 mm) |
Carrikerella simpira Rivera & Callohuari sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the “simpira,” a horned, mythological amazonian entity. According to local shipibo-conibo cosmovision, the simpira can stretch one of its arms to snare its victims, a behavior that evokes that of Carrikerella.
J. Rivera and Y. Callohuari. 2020. A New Species of Praying Mantis from Peru Reveals Impaling as a Novel Hunting Strategy in Mantodea (Thespidae: Thespini). Neotropical Entomology. DOI: 10.1007/s13744-019-00744-y
New Species of Praying Mantis Impales Its Prey on Barbed Spikes gizmodo.com/new-species-of-praying-mantis-impales-its-prey-on-barbe-1840866483 via @gizmodo
