Historic distribution and life history of the African twig mantid, Popa spurca (Mantodea: Deroplatyidae) in southern Africa

Abstract

(Stål) (Deroplatyidae) is a well-known species within the African Mantodea. Because this species is often kept as pets, several citizen-based platforms provide information on the rearing of this species. There is however no scientific information available on the distribution and biology of this species. The aim of this study was to use museum records to establish the historic distribution of P. spurca in southern Africa and specifically South Africa, and to investigate its biology under captive breeding and rearing conditions. A total of 212 specimen records of P. spurca were recorded during a survey of all Mantodea in the national museum collections in South Africa. The results suggested that the distribution of this genus seems to be largely associated with the Savanna biome in South Africa. The average lifespan of a P. spurca individual was 332 ± 62 days adult longevity was significantly longer in females. Oothecae contained an average of 84 ± 30 eggs and the mean incubation period was 35 ± 4 days. This study contributes to the understanding of the historic distribution and biology of P. spurca which has never been studied before in southern Africa