Sphodromantis is a large genus of praying mantises concentrated in Africa, sometimes considered a synonym of the genus Hierodula: from the same family, Mantidae. Outside their range especially, many share the common name African Mantis.African Mantis Trek Nature New ZealandAfrican Praying MantisAfrican Praying Mantis Sphodromantis gastrica, lineola, viridis and centralis
Species The following species are recognised in the genus Sphodromantis:
Sphodromantis abessinica Sjöstedt, 1930 Sphodromantis aethiopica La Greca & Lombardo, 1987 Sphodromantis annobonensis Llorente, 1968 Sphodromantis aurea Giglio-Tos, 1917 (Congo Green Mantis) Sphodromantis aureoides Roy, 2010 Sphodromantis baccettii La Greca & Lombardo, 1987 (Giant African Praying Mantis)http://www.ship-expert.com/index.php?categoryID=122950&itemID=170741054354 Sphodromantis balachowskyi La Greca, 1967 (African Mantis, African Praying Mantis) Sphodromantis biocellata Werner, 1906 Sphodromantis centralis Rehn, 1914 (African Mantis, Central African Mantis) Sphodromantis citernii Giglio-Tos, 1917 Sphodromantis congica Beier, 1931 (Congo Mantis) Sphodromantis conspicua La Greca, 1967 Sphodromantis elegans Sjöstedt, 1930 Sphodromantis elongata La Greca, 1969 Sphodromantis fenestrata Giglio-Tos, 1912 Sphodromantis gastrica Stal, 1858 (Common Green Mantis, African Mantis) Working with Biodiversity - A Natural History of Tioxide Sphodromantis gestri Giglio-Tos, 1912 Sphodromantis giubana La Greca & Lombardo, 1987 Sphodromantis gracilicollis Beier, 1930 Sphodromantis gracilis Lombardo, 1992 Sphodromantis hyalina La Greca, 1955 Sphodromantis kersteni Gerstaecker, 1869 Sphodromantis lagrecai Lombardo, 1990 Sphodromantis lineola Burmeister, 1838 (African Praying Mantis, African Mantis, Giant African Mantis, African Lined Mantis) Sphodromantis obscura Beier & Hocking, 1965 Sphodromantis pachinota La Greca & Lombardo, 1987 Sphodromantis pardii La Greca & Lombardo, 1987 Sphodromantis pavonina La Greca, 1956 Sphodromantis pupillata Bolivar, 1912 Sphodromantis royi La Greca, 1967 Sphodromantis rubrostigma Werner, 1916 Sphodromantis rudolfae Rehn, 1901 Sphodromantis socotrana (Roy, 2010) Sphodromantis splendida Hebard, 1920 Sphodromantis stigmosa (Roy, 2010) Sphodromantis tenuidentata Lombardo, 1992 Sphodromantis viridis Forskål, 1775 (Giant African Mantis) Sphodromantis werneri (Roy, 2010)
As pets Due to their large size and vibrant coloration compared to other mantids, Sphodromantis species are very common in the pet trade.Keeping and Breeding the African Mantis Sphodromantis centralis List of Sphodromantis species that have been bred and raised in captivity.
Sphodromantis aurea (Congo Green Mantis) Sphodromantis baccettii (Giant African Praying Mantis) Sphodromantis gastrica (Common Green Mantis, African Mantis) Sphodromantis lineola (African Praying Mantis, African Mantis, Giant African Mantis, African Lined Mantis) Sphodromantis viridis (Giant African Mantis) Sphodromantis sp. "Blue Flash" (An unknown species of Sphodromantis that comes from the Congo and are popular in the pet trade. They are also called Sphodromantis sp. "Congo Blue Flash", Congo Blue Flash or just Blue Flash.)
See also List of mantis genera and species
References