Family Amorphoscelidae - Bark Mantids
- This page contains information and pictures about Bark Mantids in Family Amorphoscelidae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Spiny Bark Mantids
The Mantids in this family are small to medium in size. Most have good cryptic colour and body shape. Some have the tree-bark colours and some mimic ants. They hunt on ground or on tree trunks. Usually females are wingless or with reduced wings while males are fully winged. Females and males may look very different.
We sometimes found the ants mimic species (Nesoxypilus sp.) on gum tree trunk mixed with lines of ants. However, they are highly alerted and run very fast. Some even fly away when we come a bit closer. We have no chance to take any photo yet.
All Australian bark mantids are in subfamily Paraoxypilinae. Followings are those Bark Mantid species that we found.
- Black Bark Mantid
- Paraoxypilus tasmaniensis, female, male, body length 20mm
- The male and female of Boxer Bark Mantid species Paraoxypilus are markedly dissimilar to each other. The male is winged, slender and a little longer in body length. They have the cryptic colours and hard to be seen on bark. They colour patterns may be different for individual. More information and pictures can be found in this page.
- Brown Bark Mantid
- Paraoxypilus sp., female, body length 20mm
- Brown Bark Mantids are dark brown in colour. They have the cryptic colours and hard to be seen on bark or on ground among those plant materials. Please check this page for more details.
- Brown-legged Bark Mantid
- Paraoxypilus sp., female, male, body length 20mm
- In the above photo the bark mantid was displaying the boxing display. The bright-orange-coloured fore legs were flexed alternately like a boxer. please check this page for more information.
- Spiny Bark Mantid
- Gyromantis kraussi, female, male, body length 25mm
- Spiny Bark Mantid has prominent short spines on the head and pronotum. They have pinkly-red patches on inter forelegs. The usually found hunting on gun tree trunk. This mantid is slow moving even disturbed. More pictures and information can be found in here.
Bark Mantid Oothecae
- The Bark Mantid oothecae, or egg case, are long and whip-like. We found those Oothecae on gum tree trunk in late summer. It was 0.5m above ground.
- Bark Mantid Oothecae
- Length 25mm
- Bark Mantids are suffered from parasitise by Parasitic Wasps. The small holes in the pictures were made by those wasps when they emerged.
- Reference and links:
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 353.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p93.
- 3. Family AMORPHOSCELIDAE - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
- 1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 353.
