Leveraging female genitalic characters for generic and species delimitation in Nilomantis Werner, 1907 and Ilomantis Giglio-Tos, 1915 (Mantodea, Nilomantinae)

Abstract

Praying mantis species description and higher-level taxonomy has historically relied on external morphological characters, male genitalic characters, and geographic distribution. For the first time, female genitalic characters were used to delimit genus- and species-level boundaries using two genera with a complex taxonomic history,NilomantisWerner, 1907 andIlomantisGiglio-Tos, 1915. We present comprehensive morphological evidence for the validity ofIlomantis, currently a junior synonym ofNilomantisand describe a new species,Ilomantis ginsburgaesp.n. We provide a key to the species ofNilomantisandIlomantisbased on genitalic and external morphological character states. High-resolution images, illustrations of morphological characters, and measurement data are also presented. We conclude that female genital characters have significant utility in praying mantis taxonomy and should be incorporated as an additional data source to complement traditional taxonomic and genetic data.