Eremiaphilidae Saussure 1869
Creators: name: Kamila, A. P.
name: Sureshan, P. M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Mantodea
Eremiaphilidae

description: Family EREMIAPHILIDAE Saussure, 1869
Three of the four subfamilies are currently recorded from India. Eremiaphilinae is composed of two genera, with one genus in India. The only genus in Parathespinae is recorded from India. Subfamily Iridinae contains four tribes, all of which occur in India.
1. Body short and stout. Pronotum slightly longer than broad or squarish (Fig. 12). Sub-genital plate of females with 2 long spines (Fig. 13) (Eremiaphilinae)................................................................... Eremiaphila
- Body slender. Pronotum distinctly longer than broad. Sub-genital plate of females without any spine................... 2
2. Fore femora with 4 posteroventral spines. Disc of pronotum granulated (Fig. 14). Lower frons very narrow (Fig. 15) (Parathespinae)............................................................................. Parathespis
- Fore femora with 5, sometimes 4, posteroventral spines. Disc of pronotum not granulated. Lower frons trapezoidal or pentagonal (Figs. 21, 26) (Iridinae)................................................................................ 3
3. Body very long and slender (Fig. 16). Fore femora with 3 discoidal spines. Eyes conical with sharply pointed upper edge (Fig. 17) (Schizocephalini)...................................................................... Schizocephala
- Body medium-sized and slender (Figs. 18, 20, 23, 25, 27). Fore femora with 4 discoidal spines. Eyes mostly conical, but without pointed upper edge (Figs. 19, 21, 24, 26)............................................................ 4
4. Juxta-ocular lobes of vertex prolonged into a long conical process (Fig. 19) (Didymocoryphini).......... Didymocorypha
- Juxta-ocular lobes of vertex not as above................................................................... 5
5. Body green or brown. Eyes round. Metazone as long as fore coxa (Fig. 27) (Iridini).............................. Iris
- Body brown. Eyes oblong or oval. Metazone longer than fore coxa (Figs. 20, 23, 25) (Dysaulini) ...................... 6
6. Fore femora with 5 posteroventral spines. Vertex deeply excavated (Figs. 24, 26)................................... 7
- Fore femora with 4 posteroventral spines (Fig. 22). Vertex not excavated as above (Fig.21)............. Dysaulophthalma
7. Juxta-ocular lobes not extending over eyes (Fig. 24). Second posteroventral spine longer than others. Hind wings with an oval dark patch(Fig. 23).............................................................................. Dysaules
- Juxta-ocular lobes extending over eyes (Fig. 26). First posteroventral spine longer than others. Hind wings without any oval dark patch (Fig. 25)........................................................................ Oxyophthalma
description: Published as part of Kamila, A. P. & Sureshan, P. M., 2025, An illustrated key to the praying mantids (Insecta: Mantodea) of India up to generic level, pp. 446-480 in Zootaxa 5566 (3) on page 455, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5566.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/14703192