Acanthops

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Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox

Acanthops is a genus of mantises in the family Acanthopidae, containing 20 species that can be found in Central and South America.

Description

Most species in Acanthops are colloquially referred to as the dead leaf mantis, a common name also used for species in several other mantid genera. The genus name translates from the Greek nouns ἄκανθα and ὅψ as "thorn eye", referring to the presence in all Acanthops species of a shorter or longer conical tubercle on top of each eye. Note that such ocular tubercles also occur in various other mantid genera.

Acanthops species have an unusual degree of sexual dimorphism compared to other mantids. The flightless female resembles a curled dead leaf folded back on itself, and weighs twice as much as the males do. It has reduced wings that can be raised to reveal bright warning colors on the abdomen. The male has long functional wings that resemble a flat or rolled-up dead leaf at rest. When perched, males often assume a posture where the head, grasping legs and prothorax add to the camouflage effect by recreating the appearance of a dead leaf's shriveled petiole and stipules.

Taxonomy

The following species are currently considered valid:[1][2][3][4]

File:1500leafmantis closecropDSC4637 DxO.jpg
closeup of male Acanthops, possibly A. fuscifolia, showing the thornlike tubercle on each eye
File:1500leafmantis DSC4582 DxO.jpg
Male Acanthops, possibly A. fuscifolia, with grasping arms cupped in a more stipule-like camouflage posture
File:South American Dead Leaf Mantis (Acanthops sp.) (28246585095).jpg
Male Acanthops sp. with grasping arms partly extended in a more petiole-like camouflage posture

See also

References

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  4. https://www.gbif.org/species/1404248 Acanthops entry in GBIF

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External links

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