Description

Orthodera novaezealandiae (New Zealand Mantis)

Orthodera novaezealandiae (New Zealand Mantis) (2nd instar) for sale

Orthodera novaezealandiae (New Zealand Mantis) is a relatively easy Praying Mantis to keep and as such is perfect for a beginner keeping exotic invertebrates.

Orthodera novaezealandiae, known as the New Zealand mantis or the New Zealand praying mantis, is a species of praying mantis which is, as both the scientific name and common names suggest, indigenous and endemic to New Zealand.

O. novaezealandiae nymphs are pale, translucent green with a dark stripe running from head to end of abdomen. As adults, they are bright green and grow to between 35 mm and 40 mm in length. As in most mantis species, sexual dimorphism means the female is larger.

The New Zealand mantis has a triangular head with slightly oversized compound eyes that give it excellent binocular vision (although they do have a blind spot). Its wings differ from those of other species in the “development of the archedictyon and the absence of cross-veins in the forewing”.

“A very active little Mantis”, O. novaezealandiae is well-designed as a predator. Its specialized forelimbs are long and equipped with extremely sharp spikes to impale prey. Blue eyespots on the underside of the insect’s forelegs helps in differentiating this species from Miomantis caffra, an introduced species from South Africa that became established in New Zealand during the 1970s.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodera_novaezealandiae

Taxa hierarchy

http://eol.org/pages/3489686/names