ISSN 1364-3193

Mantis Study Group Newsletter 20

May 2001

Newsletter Editor
Phil Bragg
8 The Lane
Awsworth
Nottingham
NG16 2QP

Membership Secretary
Paul Taylor
24 Forge Road
Shustoke
Coleshill

Birmingham B46 2AU

Editorial

Ah! At last, someone else has written for the newsletter.

Thanks Murray, and, as usual, thanks to Andy.

The quick thinkers amongst you will be aware that this
month is the fifth birthday for the Mantis Study Group.

Things have changed a lot in the past five years:
particularly the availability of livestock, certainly in the
UK. This I think is largely due to the influence of the
MSG: dealers and particularly importers are more aware
of the interest in mantids and realise that there is a fairly
reliable market for mantids. In the past there was a

reluctance to import mantids (and many other insects) because of the doubtful market.
Mantids are now perceived as readily saleable.

Membership of the group is currently about 54, down from a peak of about 80. The drop
is not unexpected, membership of special interest groups always fluctuate since people join
on the spur of the moment and do not always sustain an interest. What I do find
disappointing is the failure to live up to its name, we do not appear to study our mantids.
Or if we do, everyone is keeping their results a secret. Very little is published, either in the
MSG newsletter, or elsewhere.

r*^

Exhibitions

We hope to be exhibiting at the following events.

October 2001 (Usually the first weekend in October - to be confirmed)
AES exhibition at Kempton Park Racecourse.

December 2001 (Usually the first Sunday in December - to be confirmed)
Midlands Entomological Fair. At Kettering Leisure Village.

Early Evidence for the Chinese Mantis — Murray L. Eiland

Like many popular customs, it is difficult to trace the esteem in which the praying mantis
has been held in China. It is ubiquitous today, and is reflected in art in a variety of forms.
Particular emphasis is placed on it’s predatory behaviour, and many martial arts have adopted
the mantis as an emblem. It is also regarded as a lucky animal, and they are kept in small
bamboo cages by young and old alike. When approaching the documentary and the
archaeological evidence, it is often the day to day activities of a culture that are the most
difficult to reconstruct, as these things are taken by people at the time as simply part of the
culture. Kings and wars tend to be recorded in documents, and pottery which is made by

MSG Newsletter, 20: 1

thousands of people over thousands of
years is studied. There are few
references to insects in literature (after
all, ancient writers would observe that
they stay the same while human
culture changes) and it seems there are
few surviving depictions of mantids
from an early period. What literary
references one can find are usually
focused not upon the animal itself, but
upon human interaction. Moral tales,
as well as strange happenings, often
require some interpretation to
understand the meaning. This need
not suggest that the appreciating these
insects in the context of the natural
world is a new phenomenon, as such
things as bamboo cages and wooden
models would leave no trace but in the
most uncommon circumstances, such
as a burial in a desert. Clearly some
did have an understanding, albeit of a
different nature, of the world around
them. A few exceptions to the general
dearth of literature on mantids are
presented by Laufer (1912), a book
that is difficult to obtain (as is the
Dover reprint).

The first object is a buckle depicted
in the Ku yu t’u p’u , which described objects that were purportedly recovered in antiquity.
Many appear to date from the Han dynasty, roughly equivalent in time to the Roman empire.
The title is translated as "Illustrated Description of Ancient Jades" and contained 100 chapters
of jades from the collection of the first emperor of the Southern Sung Dynasty (A.D.
1127-1162). It was finished in 1176 and finally published in 1779. It is uncertain how
faithfully the publication followed the manuscript, which remained unpublished for over 600
years. It is also somewhat worrisome that no ancient examples of a similar form have
apparently come to light in more recent years, and it may be that the objects were fanciful.
It may be that further excavation will yield more evidence. The recorded inscriptions on the
objects are now regarded as wholly false, as they were almost certainly added to ancient jade
at the time, to increase the value. The rather economical but clear reference to a mantis head
and a cicada need no explanation; though it seems the artist misunderstood the antennae as
whiskers (as on a cat) . It seems as though the figure of the mantis was clear enough no to
need raptorial front legs, which would have defeated the purpose of the buckle, which would
be unworkable with such protrusions. The object is explained by the 12th century authors
of the text as reflecting the story of Ts’ai Yung (A.D. 133-192) of the Han dynasty (202 B.C.
- A.D. 220). The passage relates how he heard a war song, which extolled the desire for
murder, when he arrived at a house He beat a hasty retreat, and when his host and guests
finally questioned him, they told him the full story. They said that they saw a mantis on a

Ancient jade buckle, perhaps from the Han dynasty (202 BC - AD
220), from the Ku yu t’u p’u manuscript finished in AD 1176.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 2

tree miss a cicada three times, and were anxious that the mantis should acquire a meal. They
played the music in order for the insect to try again! This story is significant in that it is clear
that the host and guests at the party were very interested in the mantis. In an era before radio
or television, such diversions may have seemed much more natural than today. The story
seems to bear little relevance to the buckle in question, barring the fact that a mantis is
depicted in both.

Another story, quoted by Laufer (1912: 264) adapted from Giles (1889: 258) is of the
philosopher Chuang-tse. (who lived before 250 B.C.): "When Chuang-tse was wondering
in the park at Tiao-ling, he saw a strange bird which came from the south. Its wings were
seven feet across. Its eyes were an inch in circumference. And it flew close past Chuang-
tse’s head to alight in a chestnut grove. ’What manner of bird is this?’ cried Chuang-tse.
’With strong wings it does not fly away. With large eyes it does not see. ’ So he picked up
his skirts and strode towards it with his crossbow, anxious to get a shot. Just then he saw
a cicada enjoying itself in the shade, forgetful of all else. And he saw a mantis spring and
seize it, forgetting in the act its own body, which the strange bird immediately pounced upon
and made its prey. And this it was which had caused the bird to forget its own nature.
’Alas!’ cried Chuang-tse with a sigh, ’how creatures injure one another. Loss follows the
pursuit of gain’ " .

Laufer notes that artists living in the Han dynasty were likely to have drawn inspiration
for their art from this passage and not from the passage recorded in the Ku yu t’u p’u. It is
interesting to note that this story is broadly similar to the one involving a scorpion and a
traveller. Broadly, the ending is that both drown in the middle of the river after the scorpion
stings his ride. The ending suggests that one can expect no better from the scorpion. Again
the story of the mantis and cicada extols the hunting prowess of the mantis, yet paints a
picture of a world where the pursuit of gain blinds one to the hazards of the future. Giles
(1889) notes that this passage was very popular in everyday life: "Its details have been
expressed pictorially in a roughly executed woodcut, with the addition of a tiger about to
spring upon a man, and a well into which both will eventually tumble. A legend at the side
reads, - "All is Destiny!" In effect it points to the frailty of existence.

Chuang-tse also makes a short allusion to another mantis story, contained in the Han shih
wai chuan by Han Ying (178-156 B.C.): "When Duke Chuang of Ts’i (794-731 B.C.) once
went ahunting, there was a mantis raising its feet and seizing the wheel of his chariot. He
questioned his charioteer as to this insect who said in reply: ’This is a mantis; it is an insect
who knows how to advance, but will never know how to retreat; without measuring its
strength, it easily offers resistance.’ The Duke answered: ’Truly, if it were a man, it would
be the champion-hero of the empire.’ Then, he turned his chariot to dodge it, and this act
won him all the heroes to go over to his side."

In this story the virtues of the mantis are again noted, but it is made clear that the human
world is more flexible than a raw state of nature. Overcoming strength can be accomplished
by no more than a diversion. At the same time if the story interpreted differently, it is clear
that an insect would be instantly killed by a chariot. The Duke, not wanting to see such a
brave but deluded creature killed, diverted his chariot. By saving the insect, perhaps
something of a "hero" to the troops, the Duke earned their esteem.

In the other image, taken from a book dated 1607 (from the San ts’ai t’u hui : Laufer,
1912), it is clear that there is a real appreciation of nature. The mantids are realistically
drawn, and unlike the buckle (perhaps dating to the Han Dynasty) the antennae are on the top
of the head. The upper mantis appears to be displaying to the lower. The legs are carefully
drawn, demonstrating detailed powers of observation, yet the posture is not quite correct,

MSG Newsletter, 20: 3

Two mantids from the San ts’ai t’u hui , dated 1607.

showing - not surprisingly - only a basic understanding of physiology.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this evidence is to cast doubt on my earlier
attribution of an ancient wooden "fantastic monster" as a stick insect (Eiland, 1997). It is
likely that the creature was intended to represent a mantis, particularly with the association
with destiny. Even more convincing is the cicada on one of the legs. It appears that this is
in reference to the story (or perhaps a version of it) of Ts’ai Yung, who was frightened away
from a party by the murderous song, only to find that it was to encourage a mantis to eat!

References

Eiland, M.L. (1997) An ancient stick insect. Phasmid Studies , 6(1): 13-14.

Giles, H.A. (1889) Chuang Tz , Mystic , Moralist, and Social Reformer. London.

Laufer, B. (1912) Jade: A Study in Chinese Archaeology and Religion . Publication 154
(Anthropological Series vol. X) of the Field Museum of Natural History. Reprinted 1974 by
Dover Publications, New York.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 4

Phyllocrania paradoxica (Burmeister, 1838) — Andy Lasebny.

January 18 th 2000 - Received six Phyllocrania paradoxica nymphs, about a week old. This
is an exotic dead-leaf mantis from Africa. I put each one in a separate container, and these
tiny dark brown nymphs are eating quite well. They are quite active, and chase after fruit
Hies.

January 23 th - One of them moults first, I will call this one #1. It is now easier to see this
mantis’s unusual features - there is quite a prominent "horn" on the little oval shaped head,
and the legs have ragged leaf-like extensions. All are quite plump, and keep eating all day,
no matter how many flies I give them.

January 25 th - Another one moults - #2. They do not want to eat the first day after
moulting, but the next day, they actively chase after the fruit flies.

January 26 th - One more moults, #3. The other three should moult soon too, since they are
quite plump and two of them are ignoring all food.

January 27 th - Another moults, #4, and this one is a lighter brown than the others.
January 28 th - #5 moults.

January 29 th - The last one, #6, moults.

February 4 th - Number 1 moults again. Twelve days - not too bad. The leaf-like features
are now even more noticeable, with ragged extensions on each side of the abdomen.
February 7 th - Number 3 moults the second time.

February 8 th - In the morning, #2 has completed its second moult.

February 9 th - Number 4 moults again, overnight. Later in the evening, #5 has completed
its moult as well.

February 10 th - Number 6 moults the second time.

February 19 th - Number 1 moults the 3rd time. The appearance of this mantis just keeps
getting more elaborate with each moult. It can fold itself up in such a way that it is almost
impossible to make out any recognizable outline of its body.

February 22 nd - Number 3 moults for the third time.

February 23 th - Number 5 moults the third time.

February 24 th - Number 4 and #2 moult the third time, early in the morning. Later in the
evening, #6 does the same thing. Now all have moulted three times.

March 3 rd - Number 1 has its fourth moult. During the last few weeks, these mantises have
been getting less active, and do not chase after their prey. They wait until it is close, which
is starting to become a problem. They prefer fruit flies, and are reluctant to go after small
crickets. Only two of them ate a cricket, and that was only when it climbed up the twig right
in front of them. They will, however, grab a small moth that flies erratically inside the
container and flies into the mantis’s face.

March 9 th - Numbers 3 and 5 both had their 4th moult today. Number 1 ate a small cricket
today, but the rest still prefer fruit flies. They are starting to get too large for fruit flies, and
eat at least eight or ten per day.

March 10 th - Number 4 moulted the 4th time, and so did #6.

March 12 th - Number 2 has its 4th moult. All of these have now eaten at least a few small
crickets, and seem to be getting used to them. This species of mantis seems to prefer very
lively, active prey, and they seem to be more likely to go after a cricket if I choose an
especially active one. If the cricket just walks slowly along the bottom of the container, the
mantis may look at it and watch it go by, but does not strike. Fast moving prey appears to
stimulate the mantis into action.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 5

March 24 th - Number 1 moults the fifth time. It is taking longer and longer between moults.
The only individual that has been eating crickets consistently is #4. This one eats one every
day, and only takes a few minutes to catch it. Crickets put into the containers that the others
are in are often there for days before they are captured, if at all. Small moths and fruit flies
are still preferred by these, and I give them at least something to eat each day, even if there
is already a cricket in there.

March 31 st - Number 3 moults the fifth time.

April 3 rd - Number 6 moults the fifth time.

April 4 th - Number 4 and 6 moult the fifth time.

April 6 th - Number 2 moults the fifth time. Now there is a noticeable difference in
appearance between #1 and #3 and the rest of them. #1 and #3 have small leaf-like
expansions on the prothorax - I think this makes them males. The other four are broader,
with very wide expansions on the pro thorax, and a very wide abdomen. These must be the
females.

May 6 th - Number 6 moults the 6th time. It is taking even longer between moults.
Throughout the month of April, they ate regularly, mostly small meal moths, and the
occasional cricket, but it was a cooler than average April. Now it got very hot suddenly,
temperatures in the 30’ s Celsius. Maybe this will make them grow faster.

May 11 th - In the morning, at 0600, #2 is in the process of moulting the 6th time. It happens
quickly, and the mantis comes out fine. I have been keeping them quite dry, and there are
surprisingly no problems with moulting. That same evening, #4 moults the 6th time.

May 12 th - Number 3 moults the sixth time and so does #5 .

May 13 th - Number 1 moults the 6th time. These now have noticeable wing stubs, so maybe
there is only one moult left, I do not know. Or, the males may have to moult one less time
than the females. They still do not eat all that well and not that often, though they seem to
be healthy. They like flies as well as moths. Crickets are still not as readily consumed.
July 7 th - After a rather uneventful month of June, number 5 moults the seventh, and last
time. It is an adult female. She is about 5cm long, dark brown, with lighter brown wings
that really look like brown leaves, complete with veins. On each side of the abdomen are the
ragged extensions that look like tom or chewed leaves, and these project outward beyond the
wings. The prothorax’s triangular leaf-like extensions also enhance the appearance. This
part changed shape after the last moult. When seen from above, the prothorax is now
diamond shaped. It was more arrow shaped when the mantis was immature.

July 15 th - Since becoming and adult, this mantis’s appetite has increased noticeably, and she
has been eating every day.

July 21 st - Number 6 becomes and adult, and it is a female. The abdomen seems to have
come out a little crooked, it bends slightly to the left.

August 10 th - Female, #5, makes a small, infertile egg case. The others still are not adults.
This is taking very long.

August 12 th - Number one moults, and is an adult male, just as I thought. He does look
quite different from the female. His wings look different, with the tips squared off and
ragged, like a dead leaf. The extensions on his prothorax are a lot smaller, and his antennae
got very long, even though they were quite short before he became an adult. Before
becoming adults, both sexes had equally short antennae. As adults there is a big difference.
August 13 th - Number 2, a female, becomes an adult.

August 27 th - While two are still not adults, it is time to have the first female, mantis #5,
mate. I place the male into a cage that has several stalks of silk flowers in it. I put the

MSG Newsletter, 20: 6

female in with him, and he shows little interest. I put a housefly and a moth inside the cage.
The male catches and eats the housefly, the female eats the moth, both at about the same
time. The male only glances at the female occasionally. He seems more interested in
looking out into the room as I move around feeding other mantises. I check on them every
hour or so throughout the day, and the female wanders about the cage, but nothing is
happening. Later that night, I turn out the lights. When I go back in to look after about an
hour, they are mating. In the morning, they are still together.

August 30 th - The female that just mated, #5, makes her first fertile egg case. It is long and
thin, similar in appearance to a Creobroter egg case, except that it has a long, thread-like
projection at one end. She made it on a thick twig I provided for her.

September 4 th - After a large meal the day before, that female makes another egg case, only
six days later.

September 7 th - After three days of failed attempts to mate with female #2, that male finally
does. He spent a good portion of two days in the same spot with him and the female not
moving at all in the cage. I hand fed the female once, and still no progress until the 3rd day.
Now two females are fertile.

September 9 th - The newly mated female makes her first egg case. One more becomes an
adult, a female. The last one left will be a male.

September 15 th - Finally, they are all adults. Number 3 moults into an adult male, after nine
months.

September 16 th - Number 2 makes her second egg case, and #5 makes her third fertile one.
September 29 th - Number 2 makes her third egg case. It is almost time to mate the newest
female.

October 3 rd - Number 5 makes another egg case, her fourth.

October 13 th - Number 2 makes her fourth egg case. And female #5’s first egg case hatches

- but only two individuals come out. Is there a fertility problem? Maybe more will come out
later.

October 21 st - One individual hatches out of female #2’s egg case. What is going on here?
October 22 nd - Number 2 makes her 5th egg case.

October 26 th - Number 5 makes her 5th egg case.

November 2 nd - Finally, more hatch. Two egg cases hatch, one from female #2, about 15,
and about 35 from female #5. The tiny ones are running all over the container. The three
that hatched earlier have moulted once. The males have been behaving rather strangely - on
several occasions when I walked into the room, one of them would panic, and run all over
inside the container, and then do something I never saw another species of mantis do before

- play dead. He would drop down onto the ground, lie on his back, and fold up his legs.
He would lie there stiff and still for up to 15 minutes. The females are calm and do not seem
to panic.

November 7 th - Female #2 makes her 6th egg case, and #4 makes her first, but it is infertile
since she did not mate yet.

November 8 th - Female #5 makes her 6th egg case, right on top of the previous one.
November 21 st - Female #5 makes her 7th egg case. After several unsuccessful attempts at
having female #4 mate, she makes another infertile egg case. Meanwhile, the hatchlings have
begun to eat each other, and need to be separated.

December 1 st - Female #2 makes her 7th egg case.

December 4 th - Female #5 makes her 8th egg case.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 7

December 5 th - Female #4 makes another infertile egg case. Number 6, with the crooked
abdomen, has not made any yet. Male, #1, eats quite well and regularly, but male #3
continues to eat very poorly. The hatchlings are eating well, with 12 of them separated into
their own containers so far. The ones that are together are eating both store bought flightless
fruit flies and wild ones that can fly. All are in their large, well planted cage. There is an
open jar with continuously hatching fruit flies in the cage, and that has been working so far.
December 18 th - Male #1, who mated with two females, had been acting strangely for more
than a week, erratically climbing around the cage, and his tarsi had dried up and fallen off.
He slowly began to fade and died on this day, exactly 11 months after I received him as a
newly hatched nymph. The rest are still fine, and the hatchlings are growing well. The ones
that are together, at least 15, seem to have settled down comfortably on the artificial plants.
None climb on the walls or ceiling of the cage any more.

December 19 th - Number 6, the female with the crooked abdomen that never made an egg
case dies.

December 21 st - Female #2 dies, but she had been spitting up brown fluid for a few weeks
now.

January 2 nd 2001 - Female #4 makes another egg case.

January 3 rd - Female #5 dies. The last male left is acting strangely.

January 4 th - The male is dead. Only one adult females is left. Apparently, their adult
lifespans are really not any longer than any other tropical mantis species. Only the juvenile
stage is considerably longer. The small ones are growing quite nicely, and should be adults
by late spring.

January 18 th - The last adult alive, #4, has been around for one year today. She is doing
well, and made another egg case today. The juveniles that are all together in the same cage
do not cannibalize each other as frequently, and there has not been any this month. I suppose
they have reached their ideal density for that particular cage size. All the small ones are now
growing more slowly than they were. The three largest individuals are able to eat wax moths
now.

January 26 th - Another egg case for this long lived female.

February 9 th - Still another egg case. The nymphs in the cage are all now able to eat small
crickets, though they do still eat fruit flies as well. Putting in a dozen tiny crickets in there
works fine. All are eaten in about a day. There appear to be no more than five or six males
out of almost 30 individuals, though it can still be hard to sex them at this age. Though they
do not seem to need much water, when I do spray inside the cage, they do drink. There have
been no moulting problems, regardless if they are kept humid or dry. Extra humidity does
appear to somewhat affect colour - the large cage has more light coloured individuals than
those in separate containers, which I rarely spray with water.

February 16 th - After a few days of acting restless, the last adult female dies, after almost
13 months. The nymphs are growing well, and there should be at least some adults by May.

Overall, this has been an easy species to keep, with a very high survival rate. There are
no unexpected deaths after the first week or so, and their life span is longer than average, but
patience is needed to get them through their nymphal stages. And distinguishing male from
female is easier in the early stages, since the females have a larger, wider, and differently
shaped pro thorax.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 8

Mantis abstracts

The following are abstracts from papers published recently, or in some cases details of the
paper but without an abstract. The papers are in English unless otherwise indicated. The
editor would be grateful for copies of any recently published papers so that abstracts may be
included in this section of the newsletters.

Chaturvedi, N. & Hegde, Y. (2000) Mantid fauna of Sanjay Gandhi National Park,
Mumbai, with some new records for Maharashtra state. Journal of the Bombay Natural
History Society , 97(2): 295-297 .

No abstract available.

Freund, R.L. & Olmstead, K.L. (2000) The roles of vision and antennal olfaction in enemy
avoidance by three predatory heteropterans. Environmental Entomology , 29(4): 733-742.

We examined the relative importance of vision and antennal olfaction in enemy avoidance
by three heteropterans. Jumping spiders (Phidippus spp.) served as enemies of Nabicula
subcoleoptrata (Kirby) and Nabis americoferus Carayon, and praying mantids ( Tenodera
aridifolia sinensis Saussure) were used as enemies of Sinea diadema (F.). In a greenhouse
study, the number of bugs surviving enclosure with spiders or mantids was compared among
individuals without vision, without antennal olfaction and controls after 0.5, 1, 4, and 24
hours. For Nabicula subcoleoptrata and 5. diadema , vision appeared to be of primary
importance in avoiding capture of enemies. In contrast, most Nabis americoferus were killed
by spiders and no significant difference in survival existed among the treatment groups. The
importance of vision in predator avoidance is in contrast with a recently documented reliance
on antennal olfaction for prey location in these species. Thus, stimuli from prey and predators
may be segregated to maximize the efficiency of sensory information processing.

Ghate, H.V., Rane, N. & Ranade, S. (2000) Recent record of Creobroter apicalis saussure
(Insecta: Mantodea) from Pune, Maharashtra and Kumta, Karnataka. Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society , 97(2): 297-298.

No abstract available.

Harris, S.J. & Moran, M.D. (2000) Life history and population characteristics of the mantid
Stagmomantis Carolina (Mantodea: Mantidae). Environmental Entomology , 29(1): 64-68.

We investigated the life history and populations characteristics of the Carolina mantid,
Stagmomantis Carolina (Johannson), in central Arkansas. Unlike several studies on other
mantis species found in the United States, this species was found at very low densities in the
field as measured by adult abundance and ootheca density. We found that mortality was high
during the egg stage because of developmental failure or egg parasitism. In replicated field
plots, mortality and emigration was high during the 1st and 2nd stadia, resulting in very low
numbers of in-plot survivors ( < 1 %) by the 3rd stadium of development. Synchronous versus
asynchronous hatching had statistically significant effects on emigration and in-plot mortality
but a nonsignificant effect on in-plot survival, although the trend was for increased survival
in asynchronous plots. Although arthropod abundance tended to be lower in mantis plots, S.
Carolina had no significant effects on total arthropod abundance, total arthropod biomass, or
the abundance and biomass of any arthropod order. Laboratory experiments indicated that this

MSG Newsletter, 20: 9

species has slower development during the egg stage and slower development during the
nymph stages compared with related mantis species. This slow growth may in part explain
the high mortality rate and therefore explain the low density of S. Carolina found in this
population. However, this growth strategy seems necessary for survival because it allows for
proper timing of oviposition for a univoltine life cycle in central Arkansas. Comparative
studies of this species in other portions of its range would be interesting in determining the
generalities of our findings.

Iwasaki, T. (2000) Life history of the torymid wasp Podagrion nipponicum parasitizing eggs
of the praying mantis. Entomological Science , 3(4): 597-602.

The life history of the torymid wasp Podagrion nipponicum was investigated under quasi-
natural conditions. Adult wasps of the overwintering generation that emerged from egg cases
of the praying mantis Tenodera aridifolia in April, laid eggs into unhatched egg cases of T.
aridifolia and T. angustipennis . Adult wasps of the first generation emerged from these egg
cases in late May to mid June. They laid eggs into unhatched egg cases of T. angustipennis.
Adult wasps of the second generation emerged from these egg cases in late June to early July.
Adult females lived longer than males in the first and second generations. Some females of
the first and second generations survived until mid November, while none of the
overwintering generation until late August. Adults of the second generation preferred newly-
laid egg cases of T. aridifolia to those of T. angustipennis , when offered a choice between
them in autumn. This result is consistent with the previous finding that no adult wasp of the
overwintering generation emerged from overwintering egg cases of T. angustipennis in
spring. Our results suggest that P. nipponicum has a multivoltine life cycle, and that its
oviposition preference for egg cases of Tenodera species changes among generations.

Koblik, Y.A., Chernyakhovskiy, M.Y., Voltzit, O.V., Vassilieva, A. B. & Formozov,
N.A. (2000) Some characteristics of the position of the primary Faunistic border in Nepalese
Himalayas. Byulleten’ Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytatelei Prirody Otdel Biologicheskii ,
105(4): 3-21.

The border between the Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographical realms was studied
in a valley of the Kali Gandaki river (Mustang district of Nepal) in terms of the data of four
classes of vertebrates (Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia and Amphibia) and two groups of
invertebrates (Insecta, Orthopteroidea and Acari, Ixodidae). The two groups (Aves,
Orthopteroidea) for which we had the most material produced similar results. The fauna
changes abruptly in the vicinity of Kalopani where the river valley makes a sharp turn. This
turn prevents warm and moist air for rising along the valley. 219 species of birds were
observed. 96 species of Orthopteroidea were collected (earwigs - 8 species, cockroaches - 11,
walking sticks - 3, praying mantids - 7, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets etc - 67). 12 species
of ticks found as well as 13 species of reptiles and amphibians. Mammals were collected only
in the vicinity of Jomsom where their fauna is purely Palaearctic.

MSG Newsletter, 20: 10