by Martin Bennett
The Large Brown Mantis is a common mantid species native to Australia. Pale brown in colour, it looks like a dry leaf among the grass. Mantids have very good eyesight and flexible necks and feed on insects. The Large Brown Mantis has two black dots on each side of its forewings. The male is far smaller than the female although it does have full sized wings whereas the female has short wings. The female’s egg sacks are called Ootheca and are rounded and appear to be made of foam like material. They eggs can be parasitised by small black wasps (Source https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_mantids/BrownMantids.htm)
