Hierodula majuscula is Australia’s largest mantid species, occurring throughout northern Australia. Although its common name is the giant rainforest mantis likely from the tropics in far north Queensland, its distribution extends across the floodplains of the Northern Territory into Western Australia. Morphs of this species vary from golden yellow to turquoise green and have a bright orange color on the interior of the forearms for use in deimatic displays. Hierodula majuscula can attain a length of over nine centimeters. Although they may not be as long as some of the mantids I’ve encountered in the New World Tropics, i.e. genera Phasmomantis and Angela, they are more heavy-built with proportionally larger triangular heads – like a shorter and big-headed version of Macromantis.
Update: could be another species in the genus, possibly H. pustulifera.
Photographed after capture [5]
