Burying mantis

Burying mantis
Sphodropoda tristis mating pair
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Mantodea
Family:	Mantidae
Genus:
Species:	S. tristis
Binomial name
Sphodropoda tristis (Saussure, 1871)
Synonyms
Sphodropoda mjobergi Sjostedt, 1918 Sphodropoda moesta Giglio-Tos, 1911 Sphodropoda papua Beier, 1965

The burying mantis (Sphodropoda tristis) is a species of mantid native to Australia.^[1] They are white or brown and can reach lengths of up to some 40mm long, with distinct markings on the thorax and with a white blotch on the wings. They're called burying mantids because females dig holes in the ground, in which they lay their eggs and then refill the holes.

Burying mantids are not aggressive, (unlike the large brown mantis); the female does not try to attack the male whilst mating but will kill and eat the male afterwards. The burying mantis can be found in abundance on the Southeast coast of Queensland.

See also[]

• Mantodea of Oceania
• List of mantis genera and species

References[]

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