Burying Mantis

Sphodropoda tristis · Order: Mantodea · Family: Mantidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Burying Mantis
Photo: Tony Eales, CC BY-SA

Both males and females can grow up to about 70 mm long. Females sometimes bury their egg cases in the ground, which is why they are called burying mantises.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

They are grey-brown or green with mottled wings and have pale bumps on the front legs.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

The name comes from females occasionally burying their oothecae underground.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The burying mantis is native to Australia.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Burying Mantis photo 2
Photo: Alexander A. Fomichev, CC BY
Burying Mantis photo 3
Photo: Scott W. Gavins, CC BY
Burying Mantis photo 4
Photo: Tony Eales, CC BY-SA
Burying Mantis photo 5
Photo: Martin Hannan-Jones, CC BY

Questions people ask

How can I identify a burying mantis?

Look for a grey-brown or green mantis up to 70 mm long with mottled wings and pale tubercles on the forelegs.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Mantidae)

European MantisEuropean MantisMantis religiosaChinese MantisChinese MantisTenodera sinensisCarolina MantisCarolina MantisStagmomantis carolinaArizona MantisArizona MantisStagmomantis limbataGiant Asian MantisGiant Asian MantisHierodula patelliferaFalse Garden MantisFalse Garden MantisPseudomantis albofimbriata

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burying_mantis

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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