Tenodera australasiae

Tenodera australasiae
Adult female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Mantodea
Family:	Mantidae
Genus:	Tenodera
Species:	T. australasiae
Binomial name
Tenodera australasiae Leach, 1814
Synonyms
Mantis australasiae (Leach, 1814)[1] Mantis darchii (Mac Leay, 1827)[1] Mantis tessellata (Burmeister, 1838)[1]

Tenodera australasiae, the purple-winged mantis, is species of praying mantis. Found throughout Australia, it is common in the eastern regions. Both males and females are capable of flight. The species has not been shown to be parthenogenetic.

Range

All of Australia,[2] but said to be absent in New Zealand.[3]

Diet

The purple-winged mantis has varied diet consisting mainly of other insects, however, they have been seen eating much larger animals such as small frogs, lizards etc. Tenodera australasiae can be cannibalistic but not quite an aggressive mantis.^[citation needed]

Vision

This was one of two mantis species in which binocular stereopsis was first shown in an insect.[4]

Related

The genus Tenodera has a number of species including:

Tenodera aridifolia,

Tenodera sinensis - Chinese mantis,

Tenodera australasiae - purple-winged mantis,

Tenodera superstitiosa found in Africa.

Additional Images

• 
  Detailed view of the arm of an adult female Tenodera australasiae
• 
  Adult male Tenodera australasiae
• 
  Adult Tenodera australasiae
• 
  Adult female Tenodera australasiae

See also

• List of Australian stick insects and mantids
• Mantodea of Oceania

References

1. [1] Texas A&M University
2. [2] www.ces.csiro.au Tenodera australasiae (Leach)
3. [3] Ramsay, G. W. 1990. Mantodea (Insecta) with a review of aspects of functional morphology and biology. Fauna of New Zealand 19, 96 pages. ISBN 0-477-02581-1. Published 13 June 1990.
4. Rossel, Samuel (1983). "Binocular stereopsis in an insect". Nature. 302 (5911): 821–822. doi:10.1038/302821a0. ISSN 0028-0836.