First records of Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 (Mantodea: Mantidae) in the Balkan peninsula

Hierodula transcaucasica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 is a mantid native to the Caucasus and southern and western Asia. Here we present the first records of the species for the Balkans represented by findings of the species in Northern Greece in two localities (Thasos in 2015 and Charopo in 2017) and in Bulgaria in 2017. These recent findings implicate the potential of the species to colonize larger area of the Balkan Peninsula. The adaptability of H. transcaucasica to different environments and ecological corridors may facilitate the spread of this species in the Balkans and other Euro-Mediterranean countries. The key to the species of the subfamily Mantinae of the Mediterranean Basin is provided.