Synonymy
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Mantis gigas
Drury, 1773b,
Illustrations of Natural History, II: 89, pl L
[ female ].
[ Type locality: St. Vincent. ]
[ Nec Gryllus (Mantis) gigas
Linné, 1758.
Nec Mantis gigas Houttuyn, 1776 = Platycrana
viridana (Olivier, 1792). ]
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Diapherodes gigas (Drury)
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Gray, 1835,
Synopsis of the Phasmidae, p 33.
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Westwood, 1859,
Catalogue of Orthopterous Insects, I: 84.
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Saussure, 1872,
Recherches Zoologiques, 6me partie, Livr. 2: 184.
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Redtenbacher, 1892,
Proc Zool Soc London, 1892: 208.
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Brunner, 1893b,
Proc Zool Soc London, 1893: 606.
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Redtenbacher, 1908,
Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden, p 434, pl XX, fig 1
[ female ].
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Phasma (Diapherodes) gigas (Drury)
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Westwood, 1837b,
Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, II: 100, pl L
[ female ].
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Mantis gigantea Gmelin, 1789,
Systema Naturae, ed XIII, I: 2055.
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Diapherodes gigantea (Gmelin)
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Kirby, 1904c,
Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera, I: 362.
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Diapherodes gigantea gigantea (Gmelin)
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Rehn & Hebard, 1938,
Trans American Ent Soc, LXIV: 53.
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Mantis angulata Fabricius, 1793,
Entomologia Systematica, II: 13.
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Phasma angulata (Fabricius)
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Fabricius, 1798,
Supplementum Entomologiae Systematicae, p 187.
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Phasma angulatum (Fabricius)
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Lichtenstein, 1802,
Trans Linnean Soc London, VI: 11.
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Diapherodes (Diapherodes) angulata (Fabricius)
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Burmeister, 1838,
Handbuch der Entomologie, II: 574.
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Diapherodes angulata (Fabricius)
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Rehn, 1903,
Trans American Ent Soc, XXIX (2): 136.
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Haplopus grayi
Kaup, 1871a,
Berliner Ent Zeitschr, XV: 20, pl I, fig 20
[ egg ].
[ Type locality: “Molukken.”. ] Syn. n.
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Kaup, 1871b,
Berliner Ent Zeitschr, XV: 36, pl II, fig 1
[ female ].
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Diapherodes grayi (Kaup)
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Kirby, 1904c,
Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera, I: 363.
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Diapherodes gigantea dominicae
Rehn & Hebard, 1938,
Trans American Ent Soc, LXIV: 53,
pl IV, fig 22
[ female ].
[ Type locality: Dominica, West Indies. ] Syn. n.
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Description
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Color. Brown and green.
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Male. Head with a pair of small unequal tubercles.
Pronotum with a piar of tubercles before the median sulcus, posterior tubercles reduced;
mesonotum with four tubercles clustered near the anterior margin, the remainder with
numerous scattered tubercles.
Meso- and metasterna covered with small green tubercles.
Meso- and metapleurae multituberculate.
Abdominal tergite VIII slightly expanded, X with a rounded emargination apically.
Subgenital plate apically rounded.
Cerci short, straight.
Legs swith the lateral carinae serrate; lower median carina of anterior femora with two
spines, of middle and posterior femora with seven spines; posterior first
tarsomere not as long as the next two together.
Tegmina with the anterior margin yellow, then with a green stripe, the rest green or
brownish green; wings reaching to the middle of abdominal segment VI, anterior area with
a yellowish green marginal stripe basally, then green or brownish green, posterior area
light yellow or reddish brown.
Female. Head with a pair of unequal.tuberculate spines and some small
granules.
Pronotum with a pair of large tuberculate spines just before the median sulcus, and with a
pair of small tubercles on the posterior margin; mesonotum with two pairs of spinose tubercles
near the anterior margin in addition to other scattered tubercles, constricted anteriorly.
Meso- and metasterna with numerous tuberculate spines.
Meso- and metapleurae strongly spinose.
Abdominal tergites II-IV posteriorly smooth, VII not dilated, X medially carinate, with a V-shaped
apical emargination.
Supraanal plate carinate, triangular.
Subgenital plate elongate.
Legs swith the lateral carinae serrate; lower median carina of anterior femora with two
spines, of middle and posterior femora with seven spines and all with numerous spinules, inner
lower lateral carina of the four posterior femora sometimes distally bispinose; posterior first
tarsomere not as long as the next two together.
Tegmina present, light green; wings present, but extremely reduced, barely reaching to the
median segment.
Egg. Small for the size of the insect; surface very rugose. Micropylar plate
elongate oval. Operculum with a large tubercle. Length 6 mm.
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Geographic distribution. Widely distributed in the Lesser Antilles from
Guadeloupe to Grenada.
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Type material.
M. gigas.
Not found; presumed lost.
H. grayi.
Not in Berlin; presumed lost.
D. dominicae.
A female. Dominica, B.W.I. II. 1927. James Bond. 1800 ft. Type No. 5539. [
ANSP ]
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Systematic notes. This species can be known by the name gigas because,
in describing it, Drury did not intend it to be Linné’s gigas. The names gigantea,
angulata, and cornuta were all proposed as replacement names for gigas.
Kaup’s grayi agrees in all particulars with gigas and is probably merely a mislabeled
specimen. The race dominicae is just an individual variant of a less spinose female. The
collector of that type specimen, James Bond, was an ornithologist out of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia and the prototype for Ian Fleming’s spy.
I have examined 12 males and 32 females.
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Males |
Females |
| Total length |
86-99 mm |
116-182 mm |
| mesonotum |
15-18 mm |
21- 33 mm |
| metanotum & median segment |
14-15 mm |
16- 30 mm |
| anterior femur |
16-17 mm |
19- 32 mm |
| median femur |
15-15 mm |
- 29 mm |
| posterior femur |
20-20 mm |
22- 43 mm |
| tegmen |
12-13 mm |
8- 16 mm |
| wing |
48-51 mm |
3- 7 mm |
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Known Distribution
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West Indies
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no additional locality
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ANSP
BMNH
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Guadeloupe
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island label only
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PFG
PM
GM
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Domaine Ducias
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AMNH
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Dominica
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island label only
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ANSP
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Clarke Hall
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USNM
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St. Vincent
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island label only
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ANSP
BMNH
NMW
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Sharp’s Valley
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ANSP
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Richmond Vale
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CFM
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Grenada
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island label only
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ANSP
BMNH
MCZ
NMW
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St. George’s
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MCZ
USNM
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