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| Kongobatha spinosistyla Connors, in Connors, Yeeles, Lach et Rentz, 2026 |
Abstract
Kongobatha is one of the most commonly encountered of all Australian mantis genera, and yet despite this, very little is known about the taxonomy or biology of the genus. Described to include a single Australian species, K. diademata, the only subsequent work on the genus has been the description of a second species from New Guinea, K. papua. We here describe three additional species, K. spinosistyla Connors sp. nov., K. serpens Connors sp. nov., and K. rufilinea Connors sp. nov., and redescribe K. diademata and K. papua in detail, the latter of which is recorded from Australia for the first time. We also describe for the first time the unusual, heavily spinose styli of male Kongobatha. These are apparently unique among Mantodea as a whole, but their function remains unknown.
Mantodea, mantis, snake mantis, Australia, New Guinea, taxonomy, styli, citizen science
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| Male and female Kongobatha spinosistyla (Rainforest Snake Mantis), Kuranda, North Queensland. photo: Maurice Allan |
MATTHEW G. CONNORS, PETER YEELES, LORI LACH and DAVID C.F. RENTZ. 2026. Striking, Slender, and Secretly Spinose: A Revision of the Snake Mantises of the Genus Kongobatha (Mantodea: Nanomantidae: Fulciniinae: Neomantini). Zootaxa. 5807(1); 45-84. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5807.1.2 [2026-05-08]
