Behavioral and morphological variation within the Mantodea

Recent behavioral and phylogenetic studies have revived appreciation for variation in behavior and morphology in the Mantodea, both within and between species. In the bordered mantid Stagmomantis limbata, variation in the occurrence of sexual cannibalism is influenced by ecological factors, such as female feeding regime. Female morphology, such as prontoum length, is affected by the environment, with pronotum length decreasing with the date of adult emergence in field populations. This variability in female length within a season produces a broad range of degree of sexual dimorphism (male length/female length x 100%), from 50% to over 90%. Interspecific variation in behavior (sexual cannibalism) and morphology (body length), while based on a somewhat nascent dataset, is considered in a phylogenetic framework.