Orthodera novaezealandiae
Encyclopedia
Orthodera novaezealandiae, known as the New Zealand Mantis or the New Zealand Praying Mantis, is a species
of praying mantis which is, as both the scientific name and common name
s suggest, indigenous
and endemic to New Zealand
.
_from_above.jpg)
O. novaezealandiae nymphs
are pale, translucent green with a dark stripe running head to end of abdomen
. As adults, they are bright green and grow to between in 40 mm 35 mm in length.(see note ) As in most mantis species, sexual dimorphism
means the female is larger.
The New Zealand Mantis has a triangular head with slightly over-sized compound eyes that give it excellent binocular vision
(although they do have a blind spot
). Its wing
s differ from those of other species in the "development of the archedictyon
and the absence of cross-vein
s in the forewing".
"A very active little Mantis", O. novaezealandiae is well-designed as a predator. Its specialized forelimbs are long and equipped with extremely sharp spikes to impale prey. Blue eyespots
on the underside of the insect's forelegs helps in differentiating this species from Miomantis caffra
, an introduced species
from South Africa
that became established in New Zealand during the 1970s.
O. novaezealandiae prefer open, shrub
by terrain where its similarity to leaf
y vegetation
may be used as camouflage
to ambush
prey. It hides well from predators and is near or at the top of the invertebrate
food chain
in its habitat
. As an endemic species of New Zealand that eats pests and has a very large appetite
, O. novaezealandiae is a beneficial insect to those involved in agriculture
and they are used in many garden
s.
The New Zealand Mantis is vulnerable to the use of pesticide
s, both directly and through the effects of a diminished food supply, and their ootheca
are sometimes attacked by parasitic wasp
s.
The only two species of mantis in New Zealand are this native species and the previously-mentioned introduced species M. caffra
discovered as established in the Auckland
suburb
of New Lynn
in 1978. O. novaezealandiae is taxonomically very close to, and has sometimes been considered conspecific and synonymous with, the Australia
n species O. ministralis
.
_laying_eggs.jpg)
The New Zealand Mantis is bred in captivity. Special care must be taken to prevent this small, quick-moving species from escaping. Nymphs are especially fast and can leap relatively far as well. It can be kept at room temperature (25–30 °C or 77–86 F) but does prefer warmth. Their enclosure should be sprayed with water a few times a week, and when they are young their enclosure should be kept at around 50%–60% humidity. Captive O. novaezealandiae can be fed on a diet of small cricket
s and flies
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of praying mantis which is, as both the scientific name and common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s suggest, indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
and endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Description
Nymph (biology)
In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage. Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a...
are pale, translucent green with a dark stripe running head to end of abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
. As adults, they are bright green and grow to between in 40 mm 35 mm in length.(see note ) As in most mantis species, sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
means the female is larger.
The New Zealand Mantis has a triangular head with slightly over-sized compound eyes that give it excellent binocular vision
Binocular vision
Binocular vision is vision in which both eyes are used together. The word binocular comes from two Latin roots, bini for double, and oculus for eye. Having two eyes confers at least four advantages over having one. First, it gives a creature a spare eye in case one is damaged. Second, it gives a...
(although they do have a blind spot
Blind spot
Blind spot may refer to:In ophthalmology:*Scotoma, an obscuration of the visual field*Optic disc, also known as the anatomical blind spot, the specific region of the retina where the optic nerve and blood vessels pass through to connect to the back of the eye*Blind spot , also known as the...
). Its wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s differ from those of other species in the "development of the archedictyon
Archedictyon
Archedictyon is a name given to a hypothetical scheme of wing venation proposed for the common ancestor of all winged insects.-Description:The nature of the archedictyon is an important consideration in the taxonomic classification of the...
and the absence of cross-vein
Vein
In the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
s in the forewing".
"A very active little Mantis", O. novaezealandiae is well-designed as a predator. Its specialized forelimbs are long and equipped with extremely sharp spikes to impale prey. Blue eyespots
Eyespot (mimicry)
An eyespot is an eye-like marking. They are found on butterflies, reptiles, birds and fish. In members of the Felidae family , the white circular markings on the backs of the ears are termed ocelli, and they are functionally similar to eyespots in other animals.Eyespots may be a form of...
on the underside of the insect's forelegs helps in differentiating this species from Miomantis caffra
Miomantis caffra
Miomantis caffra is a species of praying mantis native to Southern Africa. It was discovered in Auckland, New Zealand in 1978.-Ootheca:...
, an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
that became established in New Zealand during the 1970s.
Ecology
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
by terrain where its similarity to leaf
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
y vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
may be used as camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
to ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
prey. It hides well from predators and is near or at the top of the invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
food chain
Food chain
A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
in its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. As an endemic species of New Zealand that eats pests and has a very large appetite
Appetite
The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. Appetite exists in all higher life-forms, and serves to regulate adequate energy intake to maintain metabolic needs. It is regulated by a close interplay between the digestive tract, adipose tissue and the brain. Decreased desire to eat is...
, O. novaezealandiae is a beneficial insect to those involved in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and they are used in many garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s.
The New Zealand Mantis is vulnerable to the use of pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s, both directly and through the effects of a diminished food supply, and their ootheca
Ootheca
An ootheca is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species .The word is a latinized combination of oo-, meaning "egg", from the Greek word ōon , and theca, meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek theke...
are sometimes attacked by parasitic wasp
Parasitic wasp
The term parasitoid wasp refers to a large evolutionary grade of hymenopteran superfamilies, mainly in the Apocrita. They are primarily parasitoids of other animals, mostly other arthropods...
s.
The only two species of mantis in New Zealand are this native species and the previously-mentioned introduced species M. caffra
Miomantis caffra
Miomantis caffra is a species of praying mantis native to Southern Africa. It was discovered in Auckland, New Zealand in 1978.-Ootheca:...
discovered as established in the Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of New Lynn
New Lynn, New Zealand
New Lynn is a residential suburb, located in the former Waitakere City, one of the four main urbanised regions that have since become the city of Auckland, in northern New Zealand.The population was 15,510 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 1,446 from 2001....
in 1978. O. novaezealandiae is taxonomically very close to, and has sometimes been considered conspecific and synonymous with, the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n species O. ministralis
Orthodera ministralis
Orthodera ministralis, common name Garden Mantis or Australian Green Mantis, is a species of praying mantis from Australia. The Garden Mantis inhabits the whole of Australia, and can often be found in hidden in leafy scrub from ground to eye level....
.
Cultivation
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
s and flies
Fließ
Fließ is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located5 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. It has 9 hamlets and was already populated at the roman age; the village itself was founded around the 6th century. After a conflagration in 1933 Fließ was restored more...
.