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Identification tools
What is this bug?
Te kahu hua o te rō o Aotearoa
New Zealand praying mantis eggcase
Orthodera novaezealandiae
(Colenso)
Hoki ki te He aha tēnei pepeke?
Back to What is this bug?
New Zealand Mantis egg case. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
Pūtoi
Order
Mantodea
Whānau
Family
Mantidae
Show in
English
Te Reo
Te Rahi
Tērā ka tipu te kahu hua kia 15 mm te roa
Size range
Eggcase up to 15 mm long
Te Tītaringa
Nō Aotearoa tēnei momo.
Distribution
New Zealand native
Te Huringa Ora
E 30–40 mm te roa, me te uru mai anō o ngā parirau ki tēnei inenga.
Ka āta whai haere i ngā pepeke hei kai māna.
He tiwha kahurangi kitakita kei te taha whakaroto o tana waewae o mua, koia tana tohu ahurei.
Noho ai ki runga i ngā rau.
He parauri te pūkoro hua, he kiato anō.
Life history
Adult insect 30–40 mm in length
Predacious, catches insects
Bright blue patch inside front leg is distinctive
Adult insect usually sits on top of leaves
Eggcase brown, compact
New Zealand Mantis. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
New Zealand Mantis face. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
New Zealand Mantis showing wing covers. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
New Zealand Mantis egg case. Image: Phil Bendle Collection, CitSciHub.nz
New Zealand Mantis egg case. Image: jacqui-nz CC-BY-NC-SA