A cryptic mantid

This unidentified cryptic mantid was well camouflaged on a lichen-covered Native Olive Notelaea longifolia trunk in Walton Bridge Reserve The Gap. It appears to be an adult, with its body around 3 cm long. According to Minibeast Wildlife “Australia has an estimated 160 species of praying mantises. They are found in a wide range of habitats from the dry deserts to the lush rainforests. Size various enormously from minute species living upon termite mounds to giants in the tropical northern forests.”

This juvenile may be a nymph of the species above, or another mantid. It was found on a tray of plants taken from the SOWN Nursery in The Gap.