''Brunneria borealis'',
common name Brunner's mantis, Brunner's stick mantis, or northern grass mantis, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
praying mantis
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...
native to the southern United States. It is the only mantis species known to reproduce solely through
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...
; there are no males.
Description
''Brunneria borealis'' is an elongated green insect with the typical raptorial forelimbs of a mantis. The adults have reduced-size wings and are probably unable to fly. They can grow to a length of about .
[
]
Distribution and habitat
''B. borealis'' is native to the southern United States, from the Atlantic Ocean as far west as Texas where it occurs in Brazos County, Comanche County, Erath County, Conroe, Texas /Montgomery County, Azle, Texas/Tarrant County, and Euless, Texas/Parker County probably as separate local populations.[ It has been recorded in North Carolina, Southern Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. At ]Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
it was found on flowerheads of the slender aster (''Symphyotrichum subulatum''.[
]
Biology
This mantis does not breed sexually and the adults, which are all female, lay their eggs without the involvement of a male. The clutch of eggs is protected by an ootheca
An ootheca (pl. ''oothecae'' ) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks (such as ''Turbinella laevigata''), mantises, and cockroaches.
The word is a Latinized combination of ''oo-'', meaning "egg", f ...
or egg-case. In most mantid species, each mantid nymph emerges from its own hole in the egg-case, but in this species, one of the ootheca is drawn out into a point and all the nymphs emerge through this. The nymphs are similar to the adults in appearance and go through a series of moults as they grow.[ This species also enjoys eating grass dwelling walkingsticks which are often slender instead of robust and have few defenses against the mantids.
]
See also
*List of mantis genera and species
The following list of mantis genera and species is based on the "Mantodea Species File", which is the primary reference for the taxonomy shown here.
The insect Order (biology), order Mantodea consists of over 2,400 species of mantises in about 460 ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4979094
B
Mantodea of North America
Endemic fauna of the United States
Insects of the United States
Fauna of the Southeastern United States
Insects described in 1896