Diversity and habitat preferences of mantids in Gorewada reserve forest, Nagpur, Maharashtra

Abstract

A study on diversity and habitat preferences was carried out from September 2018 to September 2020 at Gorewada Reserve Forest which is located 10 km from Zero Milestone of Nagpur city which is also considered as the geographical center of India. The geographical location of the study area is 2111’N 792’E located 336 m above sea level. The study area of 19.14 Sq. Km. was surveyed and attempts to locate mantids were made. Visual encounters were recorded to prepare the checklist. Photographic documentation was done using a digital camera (Model Canon 1100D) and a mobile camera (Redmi Note 3). The sites were visited in the morning, noon & evening hours to locate mantids, the records of species, date, time, location, and habitat were accordingly maintained. For the species identification reference books, experts and publications were referred. During the study, no collection was performed. Based on the current study a checklist of common species of mantids found in Gorewada Reserve Forest was prepared. A total of 9 species were identified as belonging to 14 genera and 6 families.