Stagmomantis limbata

Stagmomantis limbata
	Adult female
	Adult male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Mantodea
Family:	Mantidae
Genus:	Stagmomantis
Species:	S. limbata
Binomial name
	Stagmomantis limbata; Hahn, 1835
Synonyms
	Stagmomantis asteca (Saussure, 1859); Stagmomantis cellularis (Burmeister, 1838); Stagmomantis viridimargo (Burmeister, 1838);

Stagmomantis limbata, common name bordered mantis, bosque mantis, Arizona mantis, or New Mexico praying mantis, is a species of praying mantis native to North America, most prevalent in the south-western United States.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] This beneficial insect is green or beige in color and grows up to around 3 inches long.^[5]

Behavior

Stagmomantis limbata are attracted to lights, and males often fly to lights in numbers, but females are unable to fly.^[6]

Description

S. limbata is one of the largest mantids native to North America, though it is much smaller than some African and Asian mantids such as species in the genera Sphodromantis and Hierodula. Females grow to 3 inches in body length, while males grow to about 2 inches. This makes them larger than other species in their genus, such as S. carolina. The facial plate (below and between antennae) is about twice as wide as it is long, typical of the genus, though the eyes are not as protruding as the Carolina Mantid's. Both males and females of this species are separated by nearly all others in Stagmomantis (except for S. montana) by their blue labrum.

Females are most often fairly plain green (often with a yellowish abdomen), but sometimes gray, or light brown, with dark spot in middle of the tegmina, which do not completely cover the wide abdomen. The tegmina are bordered with white, giving this species its common name Bordered Mantis. However, this border is often only seen in green individuals. Hindwings of females are checkered or striped yellow. Females differ from males by being larger and much more robust.

Males are slender, long-winged, and variable in color, but most often green and brown with a green stripe across the sides of the tegmina and the top brownish (may be solid gray, brown, green, or any combination of these). Abdomen without prominent dark spots on top. The wings are transparent, usually with cloudy brownish spots on outer half.^[7]

Habitat

Variable, often in open semi-arid areas in tall forbs, shrubs, or trees, but more abundant in lusher, often riparian and wooded areas of streamsides, roadsides, canyons, in towns, etc.^[8]

Range

S. limbata is the most common native mantis in western United States. Its range covers Texas to Southern California, north into Colorado and Utah, south into Mexico.^[9]