Snacking on snails: Novel prey and the distributions of Polyspilota praying mantids (Mantodea, Mantidae) in South Africa

Mantises predominantly prey on invertebrates but occasionally also on small vertebrates. We describe the distributions of the three Polyspilota species (Mantodea: Mantidae) that occur in South Africa, based on 466 specimen records from local and international museum collections as well as citizen science observations on iNaturalist. Polyspilota species are widespread along the subtropical eastern coastal and northern regions of South Africa. We report a novel feeding strategy for Polyspilota aeruginosa (Goeze, 1778) in which a late-instar nymph consumed a terrestrial snail in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We additionally confirm similar feeding behavior in a captive female of the same species. Citizen scientist observations on iNaturalist have also recorded more than one Polyspilota species feeding on mollusks in South Africa, suggesting that terrestrial gastropod predation may be more common within this genus. An incidental observation of P. aeruginosa consuming a gecko further illustrates the trophic opportunism of this species. Feeding on snails may be related to the abundance of this resource within the combined range of the South African Polyspilota species, which lies in coastal areas and low-altitude regions with high atmospheric humidity.