Entomologists have described a new species of praying mantis from Nyungwe National Park, the Republic of Rwanda.

A male and female of what turned out to be a new species of praying mantis were collected in a thick montane forest during a survey of the insects in Nyungwe National Park.

The new insect has been named the Bush tiger mantis (Dystacta tigrifrutex) due to the similarities in hunting practices with one of the world’s favorite big cats.

Soon after the female was placed in captivity, she laid an egg case, called an ootheca, and the entomologists were later able to see the emerging nymphs.

These events allowed the team to describe in one go the male, female, nymphal stages and a large portion of the biology of the Bush tiger mantis.

Using 21 measurements taken from the new species’ bodies, coloring and more, the entomologists concluded that specimens were from the genus Dystacta, which, until now, had one species: Dystacta alticeps.

Compared to the previously known species, the Bush tiger mantis is shorter by a third to a half, has fewer spines on parts of legs and has different coloration patterns on the underside region, called the prosternum, where the front legs attach. Its description has been published online in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

“Dystacta alticeps, the sister species, is spread all over Africa. The new praying mantis species was found in the high altitude rain forest region of southwestern Rwanda and probably only lives within Nyungwe National Park, which adds significant justification for protecting the park to ensure species like this can continue to exist,” said team leader Dr Gavin Svenson from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Case Western Reserve University.

“We knew this mantis was special after completing nearly eight months of work to identify all the specimens found during the three week expedition,” said team member Riley Tedrow, also from the Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

“The new species is amazing because the fairly small female prowls through the underbrush searching for prey while the male flies and appears to live higher in the vegetation.”

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Tedrow R et al. 2014. A new species of Dystacta Saussure, 1871 from Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda (Insecta, Mantodea, Dystactinae). ZooKeys 410: 1–21; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.410.7053