First assessment of the biodiversity of praying mantises (Insecta: Mantodea) in Cameroon with DNA barcoding

reduce its photosynthetic capacity and lead to changes in plant community composition [8], further amplified by the negative consequences of land use changes [9]. Drastic distortion to the environment and to species diversity call for intensification of faunistic research to better plan conservation programs. Better understanding and deepening existing knowledge of natural mechanisms within this vast but fragile region are closely interconnected with surveying the biodiversity of different groups of organisms. Species diversity quantification is essential especially in the tropics where many species are awaiting description [10, 11]. Particularly, detailed inventory data and sam- ple collection are needed for many taxonomic groups that remain understudied, including invertebrates, to cover existing biodiversity knowledge gaps both within and outside protected areas [12]. Molecular phylogenies not only help clarify the taxonomy of threatened species [13] but also facilitate species listings for monitoring and planning [14], providing a comple- ment to morphological assessment of poorly described taxa [15]. Nowadays, DNA barcodes, standardized short sequences of DNA, are a popular method for quick and accurate recogni- tion of previously known species [16]. Species-specific fragments aid in discovery and delimi- tation of taxa on any life stage, identification of endangered, invasive and regulated species, as well as help tackle more comprehensive tasks in ecology and conservation biology, such as

community assemblies, habitat richness and its suitability for priority protection [17, 18]. Molecular data also aid in pointing out potential weak spots in existing taxonomical consensus and could be used as a prerequisite for further investigations. Such methods are commonly used for studying “dark taxa” [19], small insects that get little taxonomic attention but never- theless are vital part of ecosystems, including serving as prey items to juvenile mantodeans, thus establishing prey-predator balance. As praying mantises play an important role as con- sumers, recognizing their species diversity would contribute to further understanding of the ecosystem flow of the infrequently sampled region. Diversity of Mantodea in Central African region was investigated by just a handful of publi- cations. Roy [20] provided the first comprehensive categorization of praying mantises of Gabon and reported, among other, 25 species considered endemic to central-western forest sector (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon). Later, knowledge of the diversity of praying mantises in Gabon was updated by Moulin [21], based on unpublished collection data and new field collections. Tedrow et al. [22] conducted research on Mantodea diversity in several national parks of Rwanda and also pointed out the necessity of taxonomical revision of some groups, requiring more sampling efforts in Rwanda and neighboring regions. Moulin et al. [23] published the only currently available barcoding data for Mantodea of Cen-

tral Africa and established a unique barcode reference database. Their study was conducted based on the collection efforts in Central African Republic (CAR) dating since 1984 and, besides providing a checklist, they pointed out imperfections of systematics of some genera, such as Cataspilota, Plistospilota, Miomantis, Entella. A year later, Roy [24] published a check- list of Mantodea of CAR from different site 250 km further northeast and reported greater diversity of genera and species because of more varied biomes. Among the Central African countries, Cameroon is a high-priority target for biodiversity conservation [25–28]. It has one of the highest species count of mammals (280 species) and vascular plants (9000 species) in Africa, and houses more than 40 globally threatened animal species [29]. Although few diversity studies were conducted in this regard, Cameroon also seems to be a biodiversity hotspot for insects. Despite brief mentions on distribution of about 155 species of praying mantises [30], research dedicated to Mantodea had never been con- ducted in Cameroon. The southern part of the country is located in the Central African forest, where aggressive deforestation degrades the ecological state of the region [31, 32], making the exploration of the understudied biodiversity of any taxon an increasingly elusive task. PLOS ONE Diversity of praying mantises in Cameroon PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304163 May 23, 2024 2 / 23 study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or

preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.