Sphodropoda tristis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The burying mantis (Sphodropoda tristis) is a species of mantis native to Australia. They are grey/brown or green, frequently with mottled patterning on the wings, and a have distinctive pale tubercles on the forelegs. Both sexes can reach lengths of up to 70 mm. Their common name comes from the behaviour of females, which infrequently bury their oothecae underground. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Burying Mantis sighting in Lamington National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 227th most-seen of the 430 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Burying Mantis in Lamington National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to December, the lowest months. Those are among Lamington National Park's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Burying Mantis sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Lamington National Park, in our data
Lamington National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Burying Mantis sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Mantidae
The closest relatives of the Burying Mantis that you can see in Lamington National Park (family Mantidae, Mantids) are False Garden Mantis (about 10%) and Australian Garden Mantis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Burying Mantis is recorded against all the insects logged in Lamington National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
