Bug FAQNew Zealand Mantis
Orthodera novaezealandiae · Order: Mantodea · Family: Mantidae
Also called: New Zealand Praying Mantis
The New Zealand mantis is a native green insect about 3.5-4 cm long that lives in open, shrubby areas and on small mānuka and kānuka trees. It feeds on garden pests such as small moths and can be kept in captivity on crickets, flies or fruit flies.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Blue spots on the underside of the forelegs help tell it apart from the introduced Miomantis caffra.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females are larger than males.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Pesticides can kill them directly and also reduce their food supply. Because they are small and quick, care is needed to prevent them from escaping when handled.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer open, shrubby terrain that provides camouflage for ambushing prey.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In the wild they eat garden pests and are considered beneficial for agriculture and gardens. In captivity they accept small crickets, flies, or fruit flies such as Drosophila melanogaster.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The egg case (ootheca) holds eggs in two rows, unlike the messier mass of Miomantis caffra. Nymphs can be raised easily on fruit flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Orthodera novaezealandiae is endemic to New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The only other mantis in New Zealand is the introduced Miomantis caffra, first recorded in Auckland in 1978.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I keep New Zealand mantises in my garden?
Provide open, shrubby areas or small mānuka/kānuka trees and avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
They hunt garden pests such as small moths and can be fed crickets, flies, or fruit flies in captivity.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell them apart from the introduced mantis?
Look for blue eyespots on the underside of the forelegs and note that the native species is bright green, while the introduced one lacks these spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Mantidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodera_novaezealandiae
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.