Inimia nat Connors & Yeeles & Lach & Rentz 2023, gen. et sp. nov.
Creators: name: Connors, Matthew G.
name: Yeeles, Peter
name: Lach, Lori
name: Rentz, David C. F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Mantodea
Nanomantidae
Inimia
Inimia nat

description: Inimia nat Connors, gen. et sp. nov.
Figures 10–13, 14A, 15H
Type material. Holotype male. Label 1. “Bullocky’s Rest, Crows Nest QLD 27.265 S, 152.058 E 3 February 2023 Glenda Walter Raised in captivity, matured 13 May 2023 ”. Label 2. “ ANIC Database No. 11 000062”. Holotype in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, registration number ANIC 11-000062.
Allotype female with associated oothecae. Label 1. “Collected by Glenda Walter 27.5.22 Cooyar Swinging Bridge Park QLD 26.9087411 S, 151.8356025 E On Eucalyptus tereticornis trunk”. Label 2. “Oothecae deposited in captivity 28 May 2022 ”. Allotype in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.
Paratopotypes: 1♀ 3♀♀ nymphs, Bullocky’s Rest, Crows Nest, 27.265 S 152.058 E, 21 JAN 2023, Glenda Walter (ANIC); 1♂ same data, collected as nymph and raised in captivity, matured May 2023 (ANIC); 1♀ nymph 1♂ nymph same locality and collector, 3 FEB 2023 (ANIC); 1♀ same data, collected as nymph and raised in captivity, matured May 2023 (ANIC).
Other paratypes: QLD: 1♂ Yeppoon [no date or collector] (QM).
Etymology. Named with reference to the citizen science platform on which this species was first discovered, iNaturalist. The abbreviated I. nat refers directly to the abbreviation ‘iNat’, commonly used to refer to the platform. A noun in apposition.
Differential diagnosis. As for generic diagnosis.
Description.
Head. Head subtriangular, wider than pronotum, approximately 1.8 times as wide as high in male, approximately 1.6 times as wide as high in female, compressed, finely shagrinate. Clypeus subrectangular, transverse, with moderately arched, strongly elevated postmedian transverse ridge and two transverse, weakly elevated antemedian ridges, these usually more prominent in female; posterior margin weakly convex; anterior margin sinuate, this stronger in male. Lower frons transverse, six-sided; posterior margin concave, elevated, with corners produced into blunt projections; anterior corners with a small, rounded swelling. Eyes very large, rounded, bulbous, moderately dorsoventrally compressed. Ocellar tubercle prominent, raised in male, weakly elevated in female; in male ocelli large, ovate, median ocellus distinctly smaller than lateral ocelli; in female ocelli smaller, subequal in size. Vertex slightly elevated but not produced into a postocellar process, weakly sinuate, somewhat concave in dorsal view; frontal sulcus feebly indicated laterally but surrounded by a broad depression; juxtaocular bulge prominent, rounded, projecting posteriorly beyond posterior margin of both eye and vertex. Antennae elongate, slender, setose; when directed posteriorly, reaching almost to base of hind coxae in male, reaching approximately base of hind wings in female; scape wide, rounded, slightly kidney-shaped; pedicel narrower, weakly constricted basally; first flagellomere elongate, second short, subsequent flagellomeres gradually becoming more elongate distally.
Thorax. Pronotum short, broad, roughly diamond-shaped, approximately twice as long as wide in both sexes, broadest approximately centrally but posterior to supracoxal sulcus, surface finely shagrinate with numerous small, scattered tubercles, these more dense laterally; dorsolaterally with a pair of weakly-defined, rather irregular longitudinal carinae extending along almost the entire pronotum. Supracoxal sulcus strongly arched, deep on lateral margins of pronotum but only moderately indicated dorsally; median keel almost absent anteriorly, strongly elevated on metazone. Prozone subtriangular, with sides diverging posteriorly, somewhat elevated anteriorly but with anterior margin sloping downwards, posterodorsally with low to moderate diagonal ridges bounding a small triangular depression. Metazone subtriangular, broadest anteriorly, approximately 1.7 times length of prozone in male, approximately 1.6 times length of prozone in female, weakly elevated posteriorly but not anteromedially, surface uneven and irregularly tuberculate, anterolaterally with a short vertical sulcus, this weaker in female, anterolaterally with a short longitudinal ridge of varying distinctness, this generally weaker in female. Lateral pronotal expansion present as a narrow, finely dentate margin (Figure 10A–B). Prosternum very finely granulated; ventral cervical sclerite and intercervical sclerites present as narrow, rounded ridges, the latter especially more prominent in females; postcervical plate broad, subrectangular, with concave anterior margin; T-shaped sclerite narrow medially, slightly broader in male; gustifolium organ small, reduced, rounded, with scattered setae; furcasternite with low median keel anteriorly and with low, rounded ridge along posterolateral margins. Posterior hearing organ is of the DK type in male, of the DNK type in female.
Foreleg spination formula: F = 3DS/11AvS/4PvS; T = 8–9AvS/5–6PvS.
Legs. Forecoxa robust, somewhat elongate, keeled and finely toothed along dorsal margin, with strong, strongly tuberculate median keel posteriorly; coxal lobes broad, convergent. Forefemur robust, broadest slightly basal to tibial spur groove, narrowing anteriorly, with scattered tubercles and setae; dorsal keel strong, elevated; posterior keel very low and poorly-defined but with two rows of distinct tubercles in female, usually with one row of distinct tubercles in male; tibial spur groove with prominent distal edge but poorly-defined basally; femoral brush ovate; middle discoidal spine largest, distal smallest, distal discoidal spine directed distally; anteroventral forefemur spines alternating between large and small in the following formation: iIiIiIiIiiI; a row of minute spines along a ridge between the anteroventral and posteroventral spines, this extending from near the base of the forefemur to the femoral brush, interrupted by the discoidal spines; genicular spurs strong, well-developed. Foretibia short, somewhat slender, with scattered setae; a distinct gap between ultimate and penultimate basalmost posteroventral foretibial spines in most specimens, this gap sometimes replaced by a very small spine; tibial spur long, gently curved. Foretarsus subequal in length to or slightly longer than foretibia, unmodified. Mid and hind legs rather short and somewhat robust, sparsely setose, unmodified; genicular spurs absent; tibial spurs short; tarsi moderately long.
Wings. Tegmina elongate in male, somewhat ovate in female, with sides subparallel, exceeding end of abdomen in male, almost reaching end of fourth abdominal segment in female; veins reticulate, especially distal to stigma; basal area between anterior branch of anterior cubitus and posterior cubitus with many crossveins. Hind wings broad, shortened in female, marginally exceeding end of tegmina in male, in line with or marginally exceeding end of tegmina in female; anterior cubitus unbranched; male sometimes with small supplementary cells inside the veins of the anterior cubitus and/or anterior branches of the second anterior analis, which bifurcate and merge to enclose these cells (Figure 10A–B).
Abdomen. Abdomen moderately elongate, broader in female; with scattered setae, these denser posteriorly; second to seventh tergite with small keeled dorsolateral projections, these present as rounded, obtuse corners, stronger in female; with a median keel posteriorly on anterior tergites, along entire length of posterior tergites, this produced into very small, triangular dorsomedial expansions on fifth and sixth tergite, very low on the former. Cerci somewhat elongate, apical segment slightly laterally compressed (Figure 11). Supra-anal plate of male short, triangular, lateral margins slightly convex, with a low keel, not reaching posterior edge of subgenital plate. Supra-anal plate of female moderately elongate, subtriangular, with convex sides, with a low median keel, tip blunted, virtually in line with tip of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate of male subtriangular, lateral margins convex, usually weakly incised at posterior tip between styli, asymmetrical such that the base of the right stylus is slightly more posterior than the left; styli short, cylindrical, setose (Figure 11B). Anterior portion of subgenital plate of female subovate, with sulcus and small median incision separating anterior portion from ventroterminal lobes; ventroterminal lobes rounded, elongate, strongly laterally compressed (Figure 11A).
Genitalia. Male genitalia with L4A elongate, ovate; pda bifurcate, present as two short, blunted, triangular lobes, with sinistral lobe directed posteriorly and sometimes weakly posteriorly, with dextral lobe directed dorsally and weakly posteriorly; afa rather elongate, sclerotised only in posterior region, finely shagrinate, directed posteriorly and weakly to the right, with a very small, shallow indentation posterodextrally near the apex; paa poorly-sclerotised, elongate, strongly curled dorsally, weakly curved to the left, with rounded tip; loa very small, rounded, poorly-sclerotised; fda very weakly constricted basally; pia a small, evenly rounded, shagrinate bump; pva an elongate, strongly sclerotised projection narrowing abruptly to a blunt point, this directed ventrally and curving evenly along its length such that the apex is directed posteriorly (Figure 10C–D).
Colour. Body colour dark brown to grey-brown with darker markings, pattern relatively consistent but somewhat variable in intensity.
Head mid brown with dark mottling on labrum, clypeus, mandibles, and around circumantennal sulcus; anterior 2/3 of lower frons dark, forming a transverse stripe, posterior 1/3 pale; vertex and ocellar tubercle with scattered dark dots, denser around parietal sulcus; ocelli orange-yellow; antennae entirely dark. Eyes distinctly patterned with lateral stripes, consisting of two or three curved, thin, dark stripes on dorsal surface separated by pale regions; a broad dark stripe laterally, concurrent with dark markings on lower frons; a thin, cream stripe beneath, and a curved, thin, dark stripe on ventral surface; extreme dorsal and ventral regions more or less concolorous with ground colour of head; these markings often fading after death.
Pronotum mid to dark brown; dorsal surface with scattered, dark dots and short streaks, generally without extensive dark lines except sometimes on anterior prozone; lateral surface often heavily mottled; lateral margin of metazone with a pair of short, thin, curved, dark lines anteriorly, on widest section of pronotum; lateral pronotum margin pale cream with every or every second tubercle darkened. Prosternum mostly unicolourous with some dark markings on the intercervical sclerites and T-shaped sclerite, furcasternite sometimes almost entirely dark.
Legs mid to dark brown; forelegs with small, scattered dark dots posteriorly; forecoxae sometimes with longitudinal stripes on posterior surface; forefemur anteriorly often with broader dark patches and a few pale spots in female, in male often with a dark stripe anterodorsally; femoral brush usually dark; forefemoral and foretibial spines with dark brown tips; foretarsi pale. Mid and hind legs usually with dark bands of variable intensity.
Tegmina mostly opaque, pale but strongly mottled with darker patches in female especially; costa and basal half of anterior radius pale cream, the latter sometimes with faint dark bands, most other veins brown; pterostigma surrounded by an elongate, almost white patch, with dark ovate patches basal to and distal to the pterostigma, the former sometimes extending as a thin streak posterior to the pterostigma, beyond these an ovate pale patch and then an ovate dark patch, forming a banded line along anterior radius and media, these patterns very weak distal to pterostigma in female; with many irregular dark markings adjacent to sectors but separated from them by a thin pale border. Hindwing mostly hyaline; veins mostly brown; costal region pale, mostly opaque; usually with irregular dark patches adjacent to distal 1/10 of anterior radius, posterior radius, media, and anterior cubitus.
Dorsal and ventral surface of mesothorax, metathorax, and abdomen mid to dark brown with dense, dark mottling; dorsal surface also with short, irregular, dark, longitudinal lines, these sometimes aligned as longer stripes; often with a rather reddish median stripe; cerci dark, sometimes with faint banding (Figure 10A–B, 13).
Nymph. Older nymphs are similar in morphology and colour to adults but lack wings and are often slightly less rugose than adults (Figure 13D). Very young nymphs are very dark with relatively long legs and shorter abdomen.
Ootheca. Small; greyish brown externally, less grey internally; elongate, distal end pointed with prominent residual process, sides almost vertical; with two rows of almost upright eggs; external foam layer virtually absent; emergence area somewhat flattened, each opening with a small scale-like flap projecting distally and slightly raised dorsally (Figure 12). Oothecae are deposited such that the entire ventral surface is attached to the substrate.
Measurements (in mm). Body length, 19.6–23.3 (♀), 17.4–19.5 (♂). Pronotum length, 4.6–5.5 (♀), 3.8–3.9 (♂). Pronotum width, 2.0–2.8 (♀), 1.9–2.1 (♂). Tegmen length, 8.8–10.3 (♀), 16.9–18.0 (♂).
Distribution. I. nat gen. et sp. nov. is known from only three localities in southeastern Queensland, from Cooyar, Crows Nest, and Yeppoon, where it has been recorded in human-modified remnant forest (Figure 14A, 15H).
Remarks. Uniquely among Australian mantises, I. nat was first discovered on the citizen science platform iNaturalist (http://www.inaturalist.org/) by amateur naturalist Glenda Walter (Walter 2022b). Only a single specimen is known from prior to this time, and indeed this is the only specimen collected outside the context of citizen science. I. nat appears to be very localised in nature but is moderately common where it occurs, and is known from a handful of specimens and photographic records from three localities (Walter 2022a; 2023a; 2023b). These three localities are widely separated and span a distance of more than 400km, and it is likely that the species occurs in similar habitat elsewhere in this region.
I. nat has been both collected and observed only on the trunks of Eucalyptus tereticornis, although relatively few specimens are known and the species may be more variable in its choice of host tree. E. tereticornis has primarily smooth bark, contrasting directly with the primary host plants of Ima spp., which show a preference for rough, flaky bark. Notably, however, the E. tereticornis often has a ‘sock’ of thick, stringy bark around its base which is similar to the bark of Melaleuca spp. and Corymbia leichhardti that Ima spp. inhabit (Franklin 2022); I. nat has been collected from these ‘socks’ rather than from the smooth areas of bark.
description: Published as part of Connors, Matthew G., Yeeles, Peter, Lach, Lori & Rentz, David C. F., 2023, A revision of the genus Ima Tindale (Mantodea: Nanomantidae: Fulciniinae) with the description of a new genus, pp. 201-226 in Zootaxa 5380 (3) on pages 215-220, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5380.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10224417