New Supreme Praying Mantis Has a Knack for Fashion

Do you spot any similarties between Justice Ruth 
Bader Ginsburg and this praying mantis?

As an incoming high school senior, I’ve heard my fair share of college information sessions. Each talk overlaps in material and one point is repeated at length: research. Usually offered in larger universities, research is promoted as a way for undergraduate and graduate students to make an impact in their respective fields. Some apply for research positions just to get their feet wet, but others take the opportunity to make a difference. Sydney Brannoch, a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, along with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History recently identified a new praying mantis by studying female mantis’ genitalia. This new method contrasts the typical research of male mantis’ genitalia to categorize species. Not only does the work done by Brannoch have the ability to revolutionize the way biologists categorize species in the future, but the naming of this mantis is revolutionary as well. 

Madagascar: home to talking lemurs and political praying mantises!

The new species of praying mantis from Madagascar, Llomantis ginsburgae, was named after the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known for her support of marriage equality and women’s rights. The species was first discovered in 1967 but was only closely studied and identified in the last year. Along with her position on women’s rights in her career, Ginsburg was the inspiration for the new mantis’ name because of its prominent neck plates that resemble the jabots that the Justice wears. 


"As a feminist biologist, I often questioned why female specimens weren't used to diagnose most species," Brannoch said. "This research establishes the validity of using female specimens in the classification of praying mantises. It is my hope that our work not only sets a precedent in taxonomy but also underscores the need for scientists to investigate and equally consider both sexes in other scientific investigations."

With this research, studying females in new species can be legitimized as a practice in the field of biology. Findings from female specimen could potentially bring about more information on the world's organization of animals than we could ever imagine.

 With all this excitement, someone should tell Justice Ginsberg to plan a vacation to Madagascar so she can meet her praying mantis doppelganger! And make sure she packs her jabots!

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