For #FossilFriday meet an ancestor of today's #cockroaches, #mantises and #termites. This lovely #insect is Sysciophlebia, and lived ~295 million years ago, in what is today Germany. It was 3.6cm long, and was a female. How do we know? Well, that structure highlighted in red is the ovipositor, which is used to lay eggs. And while this is quite cockroach-like in appearance, modern cockroaches lay eggs in an egg case, the ootheca.

#palaeontology #paleontology #fossil #science #entomology

An observation from April 2021. A Golden-armed Mantis (Hierodula venosa) spotted on the railing at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore. Passer bys (esp. kids) were also delighted to see it.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72877014 ]

#iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Photography #Insects #Mantises #Mantodea #2021

(CW: images of a large mantis.)

An observation from March 2021. A Giant Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys desiccata) spotted at Chestnut Nature Park, Singapore. The last shot makes it look like a 'kaiju' striding out of the forest. :-)

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70724533 ]

#iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Photography #Insects #Mantises #Mantodea #2021

An Amantis sp. mantis spotted at Chestnut Nature Park, Singapore, on 18 Sept 2021. It was eyeing me as I took the shots.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/95240586 ]

#iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Photography #Insects #Mantises #Mantodea

Spotted this lovely mantis, probably a Golden-armed Mantis (Hierodula venosa) at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore, on 4 April 2021. It was also the centre of attention of visitors who passed by.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72877014 ]

#iNaturalist #Nature #Singapore #Photography #Insects #Mantises #Mantodea