''Tenodera australasiae'', the purple-winged mantis, is

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

. Found in Australia, it is common in most parts of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

(

QLD ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

). Both males and females are capable of flight. The species has not been shown to be

parthenogenetic Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...

Range

All of Australia,
www.ces.csiro.au Tenodera australasiae (Leach) but said to be absent in New Zealand.
Ramsay, G. W. 1990. Mantodea (Insecta) with a review of aspects of functional morphology and biology. ''Fauna of New Zealand'' 19, 96 pages. . Published 13 June 1990.

Diet

The purple-winged mantis has varied diet consisting mainly of other

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

, however, they have been seen eating much larger

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

such as small frogs, lizards etc. ''Tenodera australasiae'' can be

cannibalistic Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

but not quite an aggressive

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Tenodera ''Tenodera''Burmeister H (1838) ''Handb. Ent., Burm.'' 2: 534. is a genus of mantis in the family Mantidae which contains several species of praying mantises. The species in this genus can be found primarily in Africa, Asia and Australia, but al ...

has a number of species including: :'' Tenodera aridifolia'', :''

Tenodera sinensis The Chinese mantis (''Tenodera sinensis'') is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896 this species was accidentally introduced by a nursery tender at Mt. Airy near Philadelphia, United States. ''Tenodera sinensis'' oft ...

'' -

Chinese mantis The Chinese mantis (''Tenodera sinensis'') is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896 this species was accidentally introduced by a nursery tender at Mt. Airy near Philadelphia, United States. ''Tenodera sinensis'' oft ...

, :''Tenodera australasiae'' - purple-winged mantis, :'' Tenodera superstitiosa'' found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Additional Images

File:T.a Arm.jpg, Detailed view of the arm of an adult female ''Tenodera australasiae'' File:Tenodera australasiae 1.jpg, Adult male ''Tenodera australasiae'' File:Tenodera australasiae 2.jpg, Adult ''Tenodera australasiae'' File:Sideonhand tenodera.JPG, Adult female ''Tenodera australasiae''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3006438 Mantidae Mantodea of Oceania Insects of Australia Insects described in 1814

Range

Diet

Related

Additional Images

See also

References