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Abstract
A comprehensive review of mantid taxonomy is attempted, including descriptions of taxa, various developmental stages, notes on habitat preference in relation to temperature, altitude, vegetation and other factors, and observations on offensive, defensive, prey capture and copulatory behaviour. Biological observations on mortality, colour pattern of various instars and their significance, oxygen consumption and data on morphometrics of some species are provided.
The patterns of distribution within India and in relation to the Oriental Region and other zoogeographic regions is also discussed.
A total of 162 species under 68 genera of mantids from India are listed, of which 118 species are studied and others reviewed from literature. Two new genera (Pseudothespis, Parananomantis) and ten new species (Acromantis nicobarica, Axaxarcha intermedia, Leptomantis nigrocoxata, Pseudothespis meghalayensis, Nanomantis lactea, Parananomantis brevis, Hierodula (H.) assamensis, H. (H.) beieri, H. (H.) nicobarica, and Mantis indica) are described. Haldwania liliputana is synonymized under Gonypetyllis semuncialis (n. syn.).