Burying mantis

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Sphodropoda tristis
Sphodropoda tristis mating pair
Sphodropoda tristis mating pair
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Superorder: Dictyoptera
Order: Mantodea
Family: Mantidae
Genus: Sphodropoda
Species: S. tristis
Binomial name
Sphodropoda tristis
(Saussure, 1871)

The burying mantis (Sphodropoda tristis) is a species of mantid native to Australia. 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.

Burying mantids are not aggressive at all, (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 nearly everywhere on the SE coast of Queensland.