Guilan, Identification keys, Lahijan, mantis, ‎Sampling

Praying mantis are a small order of insects,that consisting of 2452 species of 446 genera and 15 families worldwide. They are active predator and feed on the different types of insects such as locusts and the other insects and even the vertebrates like snakes and lizard. The present study was carried out to investigate the faunistic of mantis in Lahijan and suburbs during the years of 2018-2019. In this regard, the city of Lahijan was divided into 10 stations based on different ecological factors. Sampling were done directly and manually at equal times during spring, summer and autumn seasons. The collected samples were transferred to biosystematic laboratory of Shahid Beheshti University and were identified up to the level of genus and species with the help of stereo microscope and valid identification key such as Medditerranean Eurozone (Battiston.etal., 2010), Four species among 120 species were identified. Which are: Mantis religiosa, Hierodula transcaucasica, Empusa fasciata, Bolivaria brachyptra were Identified.All the species were approved by professor Battiston and reported for the first time from Lahijan city, Guilan Province.