A new genus of praying mantis,Chlorocalis n. gen., with two new species from the Greater Mekong region (Mantodea: Mantidae) |
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Authors: | Xavier HC Vermeersch Martin BD Stiewe Evgeny O Shcherbakov |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Entomology, O.D. Phylogeny and Taxonomy, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, Brussels B–1000, Belgium;2. Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, London, SW7 5BD, UK;3. Department of Entomology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory st. 1 bldg 12, Moscow 119991, Russia |
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Abstract: | A new genus of praying mantis is described, Chlorocalis n. gen., with two species, C. maternaschulzei n. sp. and C. prasina n. sp. from the Greater Mekong Region. Chlorocalis is placed in Mantidae and can be immediately recognized by the presence of dark brown (male) or yellow-whitish (female) oblique stripes on the forewings, a large conical bulge on the clypeus, two large conical bulges on either side of the inferior margin of the lower frons, and the male genitalia with two distal processes on the ventral phallomere. Chlorocalis maternaschulzei is a widespread lowland species with records as west as Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand, and as east as mount Núi Chúa in southern Central Vietnam. We consider this species to be of Least Concern. In contrast, C. prasina is a narrow-range mountain endemic of the Vietnamese Central Highlands in the Annamite range and is assessed by us to be Vulnerable. The new findings demonstrate the still very poor knowledge on praying mantis species diversity in South-East Asia and the urgency to resolve this taxonomic deficiency in the face of biodiversity loss. |
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Keywords: | Taxonomy morphology Oriental region Indochina |
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