Chroicopteridae Explained

The Chroicopteridae are a family of praying mantids, based on the type genus Chroicoptera. The name is derived from first use, for subfamily Chroicopterinae, by Giglio-Tos^[1] and it has been revived as part of a major revision of mantid taxonomy.^[2] Some genera have also been moved here from the tribe Rivetinini, with others placed elsewhere including the subfamily Miomantinae.

The new placement is as a sole family in the superfamily Chroicopteroidea (of group Cernomantodea) and infraorder Schizomantodea. Genera in this family have been recorded from Africa and islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.^[3]

Subfamilies, tribes and genera

The Mantodea Species File lists two subfamilies:^[3]

Chroicopterinae

tribe Bolbellini

• Bolbella Giglio-Tos, 1915
• Dystactula Giglio-Tos, 1927

tribe Chroicopterini

• subtribe Amphecostephanina
  • Amphecostephanus Rehn, 1912
• subtribe Bisanthina
  • Bisanthe Stal, 1876
• subtribe Chroicopterina
  • Betamantis Giglio-Tos, 1915
  • Carvilia Stal, 1876
  • Chopardentella Kaltenbach, 1996
  • Chroicoptera Stal, 1871
  • Congomantis Werner, 1929
  • Entella Stal, 1877
  • Entelloptera Beier, 1942
  • Geothespis Giglio-Tos, 1916
  • Ligaria Stal, 1877
  • Ligariella Giglio-Tos, 1915
  • Ligentella Kaltenbach, 1996
  • Macracanthopus Chopard, 1929
  • Namamantis Kaltenbach, 1996
  • Paraligaria Beier, 1969
  • Parentella Giglio-Tos, 1915
  • Rhachimantis Giglio-Tos, 1915
  • Sphaeromantis Schulthess, 1898
• subtribe Dystactina
  • Achlaena Karsch, 1892
  • Achlaenella Giglio-Tos, 1915
  • Dystacta Saussure, 1871
  • Pseudodystacta Kaltenbach, 1996

Tarachininae

Auth. Giglio-Tos (1915); tropical central Africa

tribe Gonypetellini

• Gonypetella Giglio-Tos, 1915
• Telomantis Giglio-Tos, 1915

tribe Tarachinini

• Tarachina Werner, 1907

Notes and References

1. Giglio-Tos (1915) Bull, soc. ent. Ita. 46.
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00379271.2018.1556567 Schwarz CJ, Roy R (2019) The systematics of Mantodea revisited: an updated classification incorporating multiple data sources (Insecta: Dictyoptera) Annales de la Société entomologique de France (N.S.) International Journal of Entomology 55 (2): 101-196.
3. http://mantodea.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1183633 Mantodea Species File (Version 5.0/5.0, retrieved 16 July 2020)