Kris Anderson
Well-known member
Despite several distinct species occupying the Litaneutria genus, most literature refers to every ground mantis found in the United States as L. minor. The recent analysis of historical museum specimens and university collection material, including the very same specimens that were determined by and included in Hebard's revision, have confirmed that L. minor is an ecologically restricted species that is endemic to the Great Plains and does not occur in the Rockies or Sonoran Desert. West Coast Litaneutria bear the closest morphological resemblance to L. minor but demonstrate characteristics that are consistently divergent between the two isolated populations, which are separated by the massive geographical feature of the Rocky Mountains.
“Praying Mantises of the United States and Canada”
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Praying-Mantises-of-the-United-States-and-Canada
“Praying Mantises of the United States and Canada”
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Praying-Mantises-of-the-United-States-and-Canada
