Matthew Connors was examining insects in the rainforests north of Townsville when he began cataloging something remarkable: praying mantises so delicate and glossy-winged that they seemed to vanish against a single leaf. The JCU Ph.D. candidate had discovered and named three entirely new species of "leaf-planking" mantises from the Kongobatha genus, expanding our understanding of these extraordinary predators in ways that blur the line between hidden forest dwellers and suburban garden visitors.
These mantises possess a superpower that few insects can claim. They have a special sensory organ on their chest that allows them to flatten themselves against leaves with such precision that predators struggle to spot them. "Leaf planking is a behavior that only a couple of mantis species from around the world have," Connors explained in his research. It's a defense mechanism honed by evolution—a literal flattening of the body that makes these small, delicate creatures nearly invisible to hungry eyes.
The three newly named species—K. serpens, K. spinosistyla, and K. rufilinea—live predominantly in upland and lowland habitats north of Townsville in North Queensland. But the surprises didn't stop there. Connors also discovered K. papua, a species previously known only from Papua New Guinea, thriving abundantly in the lowland rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests north of Cairns. Prior to this study, Australia was known to have only a single Kongobatha species. Now there are four, a testament to how much remains unknown even in well-studied regions.
What makes these discoveries especially striking is how the Southern Snake Mantis—one of the new species—has adapted to human spaces. It has turned up in suburban backyards across Brisbane and Sydney, living happily in gardens alongside the people who call those cities home. "They seem to have adapted really well to living with humans," Connors said. Citizen scientists played a crucial role in mapping this species' distribution, providing observations that helped Connors understand how far these insects have ventured into the urban landscape.
Identifying these species required meticulous examination of their reproductive anatomy. Male genitalia in mantises differ markedly between species, and Connors focused on structures called styli at the very end of the abdomen. The pattern and number of spines on these styli are unique to each species—a key to unlocking their identities. One of the new species boasts up to 60 spines crammed onto this structure, a feature no other mantis species in the world possesses. Such specific anatomical differences, while requiring close inspection, provide unmistakable markers of identity.
Beyond their delicate beauty and cryptic behavior, these mantises play essential ecological roles. As carnivores, they hunt flies, mosquitoes, and other insects, controlling pest populations while serving as crucial food sources for birds, bats, larger insects, and lizards. They form integral links in the food chain—both predators and prey in the intricate web of life. "Now that they've been named and we've shown them to the world, we can get to work on protecting them and working out how important they are to the ecosystem," Connors said. With names and faces, even for insects invisible to the naked eye, comes the possibility of understanding and safeguarding them for generations to come.