Meeting Abstract
Adaptations of control systems (motor control circuits in the brain) and effectors (limbs and body segments) are both required to suit an animal’s movements to its environment. Praying mantises (Mantodea) offer a unique opportunity to explore these relationships. While all mantises are predators that use their forelegs to grasp prey, diverse species are specialized for movement on different substrates (grasses, bark, leaves, etc.), hunting strategies (ambush or pursuit), or mode of movement (climbing or running). We report comparative morphological studies on the central complex (CX) of the insect brain, which controls and directs movement, and the limbs and body segments of mantises. Using confocal microscopy and micro-CT imaging, we created 3D reconstructions of the major neuropils of the central complex (including the protocerebral bridge, fan-shaped body, ellipsoid body, and lateral accessory lobes). The morphology and relative volumes of these regions cluster into three subgroups of species: 1) highly cryptic, ambush specialists, 2) pursuit specialists, and 3) generalists that both pursue and ambush prey. A parallel analysis of the structure of the forelegs from two-dimensional images and three-dimensional scans revealed that only species with special resemblance to sticks and grasses deviate significantly from the average morphology. These results begin to describe a potentially rich example of the interaction between evolutionary history, the control of movement, and the physical form of an animal.
