TiNDALE— Australian Mantidae 



435 



Giglio-Tos, Bull. Soe. But. Ttal., 1916, p. 107; Orthodera gracilis Giglio-Tos, 



I.e., p. 107. 



Hab. Queensland, NeAv South Wales, Yietoria, Tasmania, South Australia, 

 Kang-aroo Island, Central Australia, Western Australia, North-west Australia, 

 Northern Territory, Groote Eylandt. 



An examination of ninety specimens shows a Avide range of variation, and 

 this variation is responsible for the extensive synonym}'. The illustrations are a 

 selected seri(>s of eight male and twenty female pronoti arranged to show the 

 great variation in the shape of i)r()]U)tum and head. 



10 u 



i-j. 13 u i; 



]6 



19 



•20 



21 



23 



21 



28 



Fig. 375. 1-28. Orthodera ministralis Fab. (1, male, Derby, N.W.A. ; 2, male, Forteseue 

 Eiver, N.W.A. ; 3. female, Flinders Eange, S.A.; 4, female, Darke's Peak, S.A. ; 5, female. 

 Port Auo'iista, S.A. ; 6, female, S.A. ; 7, male, Ellery 's Creek, C.A. ; 8, female, Karoonda, 

 S.A.; 9, male, Cairns, N.Q. ; 10, male, Tasmania; 11, female, Kewell, V.; 12, male. Dalby, 

 Q. ; 13, male, Darwin, N.T.; 14, female, DarAvin, N.T. ; 1-5, male, Groote Eylandt) ; 16-28, 

 females (16, Tennant's Creek. N.T. ; 17, Victoria Desert, C.A. ; 18-19, Groote Eylandt; 

 20, Cairns, N.Q. ; 21-22, Dalby, Q. ; 23, Dorrigo, N.S.W.; 24, Tasmania; 2-5-26, Adelaide, 

 S.A.; 27, Ooldea, S.A.; 28, Queensland). 



Nos. 1 and 2 are small, and agree with small females (e.g., Nos. 3, 16-17) in 

 having no femoral spot, but Nos. 4 and 8 are intermediate, possessing a small 

 spot. No. 7, which is otherwise inseparable from No. 3, has a large black femoral 

 spot extending over the whole middle area of the femora. No. 9 is more distinct, 

 but females from the same locality are inseparable from the others. No. 10 is 

 0. Iiobsonii, and No. 11 is very close, except that the facial shield is less transverse. 

 No. 9 has the narrowest and longest pronotum, and approaches the figure of 

 0. straminea in the shape of the eyes and head". The females show great varia- 

 tion in the proportions of pronotum, generally speaking, southern examples being 



