General Description

Body brown. Front legs enlarged and bent. Transparent, thin wings held flat over the abdomen when at rest. Body up to 3 cm long.

Biology

Mantis Flies are not true flies; they are lace wings. Females lay several thousand eggs suspended on short stalks. Once the larvae hatch, they either attach themselves to a female spider and enter her egg sac as it is produced, or they search for egg sacs already laid. They mature into adults inside the spider egg sac and become predatory feeders when they emerge.

Distribution

Northern and eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

On plants and in leaf litter.

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