| Burying mantis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Mantodea |
| Family: | Mantidae |
| Genus: | Sphodropoda |
| Species: | S. tristis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphodropoda tristis (Saussure, 1871) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The burying mantis (Sphodropoda tristis) is a species of mantis native to Australia. [1] They are grey/brown or green, frequently with mottled patterning on the wings, and a have distinctive pale tubercles on the forelegs. [2] Both sexes can reach lengths of up to 70 mm long. Their common name comes from the behaviour of females, which infrequently bury their oothecae underground.
