By Maushumi Purkayastha
Geographic Range
O. novaezealandiae is native only to New Zealand.
Biogeographic Regions:
australian 
(native ); oceanic islands (native ).
Habitat
This species prefers shrubland and land that is open. It uses leafy vegetation for camouflage and as a position to capture prey. It gets all of it water needs from its prey and from water caught in leaves.
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest .
Physical Description
Mass is not available. Body length for the species varies between 3.5-4.5 inches. The head of the mantis is triangular with large well developed compound eyes, which are far apart to allow the best possible binocular vision. Though these eyes are well developed and the positioning is optimal, these mantises have a peculiar blind spot which affects the recognition of the prey. The mantis is well designed for to be a predator. Its front legs are long and are armored with spines that are extremely sharp and that can be used as daggers. As in most insects, there is a size difference between females and males. In this species, as in most praying mantises, the female is larger. In this species, the wings are different in the "development of the archedictyon and the absence of cross-veins in the forewing". (Ramsay. 1990)
Some key physical features:
ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Mating occurs and eggs are produced in the autumn. Although the female of some species of praying mantises is known for eating the head of its mate after copulation, this rarely occurs in this species and when it does, it may be an artifact of captivity. The egg sacks (oothecae) are deposited on flat open surfaces between Febuary and continue through to April . Laying can take between 3-5 hours. The female produces between 2-5 egg sacks which hold between 5-70 eggs each. The mantis passes the winter in the egg stage and is triggered to emerge by warming spring temperatures. When the nymphs emerge in the spring, all the hatchlings hatch within 11 days of each other. Nymphs pass through six stages (instars). Each stage lasts between 10-15 days and it can take between 3-6 months before the mantis is mature.
Behavior
This species is very quiet and timid; it rarely goes indoors and if it does it will not stay for long. When resting, it looks for flat surfaces that are high up, for example, on the top of a leaf.
Food Habits
Like other praying mantises, this species is a strictly carnivorous predator that feeds primarily on live arthropods. It eats grasshoppers, cockroaches, houseflies, blowflies,wasps, buterflies, moths and spiders. This mantis tends to concentrate on the species that is most abundant in its territory. It is also able to prey on an animal that is the same size as itself.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
This mantis species eats pest insects. The praying mantis has a very large appetite, leading many people to use them to control insects in their gardens.
Conservation Status
If pesticides are used, the mantis has no way to protect itself from the chemicals and also its food supply diminshes.
Other Comments
This species and several other varieties of preying mantises are not well studied. More research would be beneficial.
For More Information
Find Orthodera novaezealandiae information at
Contributors
Maushumi Purkayastha (author), University of Michigan.
