Developmental Patterns in Stagmomantis limbata (Mantodea: Mantidae): Variation in Instar Number, Growth, and Body Size

Development affects many components of life history and fitness, including body size. The present study examined the influence of developmental pattern, specifically the number of nymphal instars, on body size (pronotum length) in the praying mantid Stagmomantis limbata Hahn. Mantids were reared in the laboratory from hatching, on standardized diet, to examine variation in instar number. These lab data were then used to assess developmental patterns forfield-collected female nymphs. Laboratoryreared males and females varied in number of instars. Most females required 6 nymphal instars to reach adulthood (64%), whereas 36% underwent 7 instars. Seven-instar females reached the 4ᵗʰ, 5 ᵗʰ, and 6ᵗʰ instars faster than six-instar females, but had shorter pronota than the six-instar females at each of these stages. Seven-instar females were longer than six-instar females at adulthood. Interestingly, the total developmental period from hatching to adulthood was similar for lab-reared seven-instar and six-instar females. In the lab, most males (91%) underwent 6 instars, with the remaining 9% following a five-instar pattern. By the 4ᵗʰ instar, differences between the sexes began to appear. From the 4ᵗʰ instar onwards, females typically took less time than males to reach each instar. From the 5ᵗʰ instar onwards, females were longer than the males, and were longer as adults. Variation in developmental pattern (number of instars) was evident among siblings from the same ootheca; such intra-clutch variability in number of instars may be a bet-hedging strategy by ovipositing females in a variable environment. The laboratory data allowed for the detection of six-instar and seven-instar patterns among the field-collected females. The field-collected data suggest that females undergoing 6 nymphal instars reach adulthood later in the season, and at smaller body size, than seven-instar females.