The French connection: DNA barcodes reveal the geographic origin of introduced populations of Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae) in southern Quebec and Ontario, Canada

Abstract The European praying mantis, Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mantodea: Mantidae), is an introduced predatory insect established in southwestern and southeastern Canada and much of the United States of America. Despite over a century of records, the geographic origins of North American populations have remained unclear. We analysed 807-bp fragments of the mitochondrial CO 1 gene from 17 sequences from southern Quebec and Ontario, Canada, comparing them to 175 sequences from western, eastern, and southern Europe. Population genetics analyses revealed that Canadian samples carry haplotypes from two divergent lineages that co-occur in a localised region of western France. These haplotypes showed the closest affinities to others also found in France, strongly supporting a French origin. Historical records from Rochester, New York, United States of America, where M. religiosa was first documented in 1899, suggest introduction via the 19th-century horticultural trade. The low haplotype diversity in Canada may reflect founder effects or environmental filtering, though additional, undetected introductions remain possible. This study clarifies the likely French source of M. religiosa in southeastern Canada and underscores the value of combining molecular data and historical accounts to track invasion pathways.