Difficult to spot on bark

A superbly camouflaged mantid, Boxer Bark Mantids are difficult to spot on bark or stones or leaf litter, but are quite common. You usually only see them when they are moving. The male is winged and has a slender body, the female is broader and wingless. They have have colour patches on their inner forelegs. Species of Paraoxypilus include armatus, distinctus, flavifemur, insularis, kimberleyensis, laticollis, tasmaniensis and verreauxii.

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Possible Paraoxypilus sp. PHOTO: Alice Nutsch

Photo: Robert Whyte