The Mantodea of Israel and adjacent areas (Insecta: Dictyoptera)

The present study provides a faunistic and taxonomic account of 33 mantid species belonging to 20 genera and 10 families found in Israel and adjacent areas. Five species—Empusa guttula (Thunberg), Eremiaphila bovei Lefebvre, Iris caeca Uvarov, Iris deserti Uvarov and Severinia lemoroi (Finot)—are reported for the first time in Israel. The results are mainly based on field work all over Israel (2014–2024) and examination of entomological collections, in particular the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History collection (including the historical collection of Prof. J. Wahrman) containing about 2400 specimens. An annotated list of all mantid species present in Israel and the adjacent areas is provided, along with an illustrated key. Systematic, distributional (worldwide and local, including maps), biological and ecological notes are given for each genus and species. Biogeographical and regional occurrence analyses are presented along with conservation issues and citizen-science contributions. Recommendations for further Mantodea research in Israel are discussed.