Eight-spot Mantis

Mantis octospilota · Order: Mantodea · Family: Mantidae

Also called: Blackbarred Mantis, Eight-spotted Mantis

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Eight-spot Mantis
Photo: dhfischer, CC BY

The eight-spot mantis has eight distinct black spots on the top of its abdomen and a body covered with many tiny, faint spots. It lives in Australia and is known there as the eight-spotted or black-barred mantis.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Eight black spots run along the dorsal surface of the abdomen, which is the main way to tell this mantis apart.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The body is densely covered with many very small spots that are hard to see.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

This species is found in Australia.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is Australia.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

It looks very similar to the European mantis (Mantis religiosa).

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Eight-spot Mantis photo 2
Photo: Matt B, CC BY
Eight-spot Mantis photo 3
Photo: Max Campbell, CC BY
Eight-spot Mantis photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Eight-spot Mantis photo 5
Photo: bughntr, CC BY-SA

Questions people ask

How can I identify an eight-spot mantis?

Look for eight black spots on the top of its abdomen and a body dotted with many tiny, faint spots.

Source: Wikipedia

Where does the eight-spot mantis live?

It is found in Australia.

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/Mantis_octospilota

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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