_.jpg)
_j.jpg)
Vates phoenix is an iconic species: it is the first species described by our team, Projeto Mantis. It is also the first species of Vates genus identified in the Atlantic Rainforest. It's a beautiful praying mantis with a small crown and camouflage between green leaves and tree branches, which makes it almost invisible in our forests. The name, "phoenix", honors Brazilian Museu Nacional.
Over the course of two years, we described the species in partnership with Peruvian Julio Rivera, one of the world's leading mantis specialists. Before, species of Vates were known only to the Amazon. Vates phoenix is endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest, with occurrences recorded in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, ranging from 7m to 600m. Little is known about their natural habitat: all the males were found in light traps and the only female was found walking on a path in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, probably after falling from a tree.
RIVERA, HERCULANO, LANNA, CAVALCANTE & TEIXEIRA, 2020
" A new species and first record of Vates Burmeister, 1838 from the Atlantic Rainforest (Mantodea: Vatinae)"
_J.jpg)
HEAD
Reduced ocelli projections, like a small crown
ANTENNAE
Males with asymmetrical antenna segments (S-shaped)
WINGS
Females have the second pair of wings with an extensive yellowish-white and partially opaque area
LEGS
Hind tibial lobe extends over 50% of its total (and not just restricted to the center)
TRIBUTE TO MUSEU NACIONAL
On September 2nd, 2018, a massive fire engulfed the Brazilian Museu Nacional, destroying the building and more than 20 million items in the collection. Among them, more than 5 million insects from the entomological collection, an irreparable loss that contained an important part of the history of science and biodiversity in Brazil. A tiny portion, however, was saved: a year earlier, our team borrowed a box of 13 mantises of the genus Vates to aid in the description of Vates phoenix . The name is a tribute to Museu Nacional. Phoenix is a mythological being, represented as a bird, with the gift of being reborn from the ashes after combusting. As part of the animals described came from Museu Nacional, we wanted to honor the institution, which has contributed so much to research in Brazil. The name is a way of remembering that Museu Nacional lives, is eternal. The fire, in a cruel and undesired way, marks a new start. In addition to the new species, our entire collection of praying mantises is destined for the Museu Nacional, contributing to the revival of the collection.
IN SEARCH OF THE FEMALE
When we visited the Museum's collection, we were specifically looking for a female, which we never found on our expeditions. Among the more than 800 specimens of praying mantises in the collection, there was only one female of the genus Vates, which luckily was from Rio de Janeiro. More specifically, the tag indicated that the valuable female was collected in May, 1935, in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, where we had our base. However, the animal was old and improperly fixed, hiding some important features for a detailed description. In doubt whether to include the female in the description, a inexplicable coincidence solved the case. While walking through the Botanical Garden arboretum, our advisor at the time, Malu, found a praying mantis crossing her path. When she called us to see, we could hardly believe that it was exactly the new species, and this time it was a female. In the same month of May, in the same place and eighty-three years later, the beautiful female of Vates phoenix reappeared.
THE MYSTERY OF ITS HABITAT
Despite the records of the species in several locations, we know little about its habitat, that is to say, where to find it in the forest. This is one of the few species among our findings that we've never seen in its natural environment. Not even young individuals. The males we found came to our light traps. The single female passed by at random, clearly out of her habitat. The specific habitat of Vates phoenix remains a mystery. We believe that possibly the species has preference for treetops, our of our sights (and searches).
In the absence of records in the natural environment, illustrator Paulo Ormindo produced this incredible scientific illustration from the information obtained by rearing the collected individuals. The female, with her habit of hanging upsidedown, her forelegs almost at 90º with the body and the male, flying towards her. In the background, Rio de Janeiro, one of the species' collection sites.
