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Life History and Population Characteristics of the Mantid Stagmomantis carolina (Mantodea: Mantidae)

Abstract We investigated the life history and populations characteristics of the Carolina mantid,. Stagmomantis carolina (Johannson), in central Arkansas. Unlike several studies on other mantid 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 mantid 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 species has slower development during the egg stage and slower development during the nymph stages compared with related mantid 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.