Zeugomantispa minuta Fabricius 1775

Zeugomantispa minuta (Fabricius, 1775)

(Fig. 26, Map 8)

Mantis minuta Fabricius, 1775: 278. Holotype (or Syntypes): type locality unknown, sex unknown (BMNH), not studied.

Mantis lilliputiana Olivier, 1797; Erichson 1839: 172 (syn.); Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantispa flavomaculata Latreille, 1805; Erichson 1839: 172 (syn.); Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantis viridula Houttuyn in Stoll, 1813; Ohl 2004: 206 (syn.).

Rhaphidia margaritacea Fischer von Waldheim, 1834; Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantispa viridis Walker, 1853; Hoffman 2002: 274 (syn.).

Mantispa gulosa Taylor, 1862; Penny et al. 1997: 75 (syn.).

Mantispa brevicollis Banks in Baker, 1905; Penny et al. 1997: 75 (syn.).

Mantispa pallescens Navás, 1914; Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantispilla flavescens Navás, 1914; Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantispilla trichostigma Navás, 1921; Penny 1982b: 459 (syn.).

Mantispilla viridata Navás, 1924; Hoffman 2002: 274 (syn.).

Mantispilla rubricata Navás, 1924; Hoffman 2002: 274 (syn.).

Mantispilla flavicornis Navás, 1930; Hoffman 2002: 274 (syn.).

Zeugomantispa minuta; Hoffman 2002: 273 (diag.); Ohl 2004: 206 (cat.); Reynoso-Velasco & Contreras-Ramos 2008: 710 (list.).

Specimens examined. Colombia: Bolívar: Sta. Catalina, El Ceibal, 20 m, X.1999, E. Flórez, mercury light trap (2 ♂ ‒ICN); Casanare: Yopal, Corregimiento Tilodirán, 05°08’57,32’’N – 72°12’11,55’’W, 350 m, 05.I.2010, G. Maldonado, manual collection over foliage (1 ♀‒UNAB); Cundinamarca: Puerto Salgar, Estación Ecopetrol, 150 m, D. Bernal (1 ♀—ANDES-E-DIB00024); Magdalena: Santa Marta, Cerro la Llorona, 11°14’50’’N – 74°12’06’’W, 2 m, 01.VIII.2010, M. Mozo (1 ♂ —UNAB); Meta: Restrepo, la Cosmopolitana, 04°09’N – 73°09’W, 550 m, 03.XI.2007, L. Rodríguez (1 ♂ —MUD).

Diagnosis. Body mostly light green; wings hyaline with green pterostigma, venation predominantly green, with brown pigmentation on the junctions; forewing with 1AA elliptical, aa-ap vein, almost parallel to the posterior wing margin (Hoffman 2002). Male abdomen with intertergal membrane between the tergites III‒V invaginated, bilobed, each lobe with a single pore transversely elongated.

Remarks. Larval stages of Z. minuta were described by Hoffman & Brushwein (1992), the first of them is considered an obligate egg-sac penetrator (Redborg & MacLeod 1985). This species has been found in association with egg-sacs of 29 spider species in 26 genera, belonging to the families Agelenidae, Araneidae, Anyphaenidae, Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Ctenidae, Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, Philodromidae, Pisauridae, Salticidae, Tetragnathidae, Therididae, Thomisidae and Uloboridae. In addition, the emergence of 2‒ 4 adults from the same sac was noted (Brushwein et al. 1992). Valerio (1971) reported this species as M. viridis, and has an association with the webbuilding spider Achaearanea tepidariorum (Koch) (Araneidae).

Distribution. Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hispaniola, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela.