Boxer Mantis vs Garden Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Boxer Mantis Garden Mantis
Scientific Name Otomantis scutigera Orthodera ministralis
Order Mantodea Mantodea
Family Hymenopodidae Mantidae
Size 20-30 mm 35-50 mm
Habitat Grasslands Gardens
Diet Fruit Feeders Omnivores
Regions Africa Australia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Boxer Mantis

A small African mantis named for its habit of rapidly striking with its raptorial forelegs in a boxing-like manner. It has distinctive banded legs and a compact body.

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Did You Know?

Boxer mantises strike at prey with some of the fastest foreleg movements of any mantis species, snatching tiny fruit flies from the air with extraordinary precision.

Garden Mantis

A small to medium-sized bright green praying mantis commonly found in Australian gardens. It has distinctive blue-purple spots on the inner surfaces of its forelegs, displayed when threatened.

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Did You Know?

The blue spots on its forearms are thought to startle predators and are unique among Australian mantis species.