Family MANTIDAE
Hierodula tenuidentata (Saussure) (?) (Serville)
(Pl. 32)
Experimental prey.—Blatta orientalis, Diploptera punctata, Eurycotis floridana, Leucophaea maderae, Nauphoeta cinerea, Neostylopgya rhombifolia, and Periplaneta americana, U.S.A. (Rilling, personal communication, 1957): Mrs. Rilling wrote us that with the exception of N. rhombifolia, all the above cockroaches were readily eaten. All the mantids initially rejected N. rhombifolia after grasping and making a brief attempt to chew the cockroaches. However, if specimens of N. rhombifolia were left in the jars with the mantids, the cockroaches were usually eaten within the next 24 hours. N. rhombifolia ejects an odorous substance when seized and the mantids probably ate these insects after most of this secretion had been depleted. It is highly probable that the secretion of N. rhombifolia may deter the mantid's attack, but it should be pointed out that, with the possible exception of N. cinerea, all the other species fed to these mantids give off odorous substances when seized or disturbed. Apparently, certain naturally repellent compounds will deter this mantid, whereas others that are presumed to be repellent will not; however, the nutritional state of the mantid is undoubtedly a factor which may limit the effectiveness of certain repellent secretions against this predator.
Byrsotria fumigata, teneral males, and Periplaneta australasiae, nymphs, U.S.A. (Roth and Willis, unpublished data, 1958).
Diploptera punctata, U.S.A. (Eisner, 1958).
Mantis religiosa Linnaeus
Common name.—European mantis.
Experimental prey.—Nauphoeta cinerea, and Periplaneta americana, U.S.A. (Rilling, personal communication, 1957).