Large Brown Mantid (female)

This is the largest mantis I have ever seen! Archimantis latistyla, commonly known as the large brown mantid, but also bunny mantis and Australian ghost hopper mantis, is native to Australia and belongs to the family Mantidae. It is an aggressive predator, and is even known to take down small birds. This spotting is a female, and I would estimate her length to be somewhere between 12-15 cms. She is short-winged - her wings reach only half way down her abdomen, and thus she is unable to fly, but the male has long wings that cover the entire abdomen, and he can fly. Note also the spots on the forewings - this is an easily identifiable characteristic of the species. This female has fallen from the tree above and landed on top of my rubbish bin. She was feisty!