27 Paratoxodera cornicollis (Giant Stick Mantis)

Mantidae, Toxoderinae
My thanks to Judith Marshall (NHM, London Rtd.) for pointing me to the identification.

A strange bundle of thin twigs was found moving slightly on the floor near where the Moth Trap had been operated one morning. A close look at it showed that the bundle was being dragged off by a small group of tiny Ants, and it became obvious that the bundle was actually a living thing struggling with the Ants. I rescued it, and found that it was actually a Praying Mantis with the tail pulled up over its back. Strangely, it seemed that the Mantis had been affected by insecticide of some sort, as it was almost dead, and subsequently died later. Apparently a species not seen very often.