Praying Mantis Instar Variation on Number and Duration Caused by Environmental and Genetic Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.4300Keywords:
Praying mantis, Instar variation, Development rate, Growth Rate, Sexual dimorphism, Bet Hedging strategyAbstract
Abstract:
Praying mantises, which are a kind of hemimetabolous insect, require molting in their lives to
grow. Different individuals of praying mantises can have different instar numbers, and this
variation is caused by many different factors. From the information collected for this literature
review, three major factors have been identified as having an impact on the instar number and
instar duration variation. Firstly, both high and low temperatures might increase the number of
instars. Temperature fluctuations can cause the growth rate to decline, so some praying
mantises might add an extra instar to compensate for this change. Secondly, in the studies
analyzed about related insects, both excess and insufficient nutrition can make an insect
proceed through each instar faster; therefore, it is hard to infer about praying mantises. Thirdly,
genetics and developmental factors have programmed praying mantises to have different
numbers of instars due to sexual dimorphism. Due to genetics, some species even adapt the
bet-hedging strategy, making the mantises develop at a different rate and maturing at a different
time, ensuring the population would adapt to the changing environment. Developmental
changes in the last instar before eclosion can also cause variation on the instars. The last instar
is the longest because in order to get ready for adulthood, the wing, genital, and antennae have
to be grown and modified during this instar, and the hormone types also shift a lot. As a
conclusion, both the external environmental factors like temperature and nutrition, as well as
genetic and developmental factors contribute to the mantis instar number variation and instar
duration.
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