The northward spread of the European mantis, Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae): Data from Lithuania

Abstract

Geographic distribution of the European mantis, Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) in Europe covers mostly southern and central Europe, but this species has recently shown a significant northward spread. First reports of M. religiosa in Lithuania were in 2008 and now these insects are distributed throughout this country. Information on the spread of M. religiosa in Lithuania between 2015 and 2020 are analysed in this paper. The spread of this insect in Lithuania and neighbouring countries can be related to changes in climate, in particular, the increase in average annual temperature and milder winters. Possible routes along which M. religiosa spread northwards based on an analysis of mtDNA sequences are presented.

Keywords

• distribution
• spreading
• coi sequences
• meteorological data
• seasonality
• citizen science