Other Common Names
Mantidfly, Mantisfly, Mantisflies, Mantid Lacewings
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Recent taxonomic changes have restricted genus
Mantispa to Old World species, see comments
here.
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists six genera and 15 species, as does Arnett, p. 348
(1). With current genera erected from
Mantispa, the taxonomy of the nearctic members should look like:
-Subfamily Symphrasinae
Plega Navas (4 spp., Southwest)
-Subfamily Calomantispinae
Nolima Navas (3 spp., Arizona, Texas)
-Subfamily Mantispinae
Climaciella Enderlein (1 sp., widespread)
Dicromantispa Hoffman (2 spp., widespread, mostly East)
Leptomantispa Hoffman (1 sp.?, widespread)
Xeromantispa Hoffman (1 sp.?, West?)
Zeugomantispa Hoffman (1 sp., East)
Identification
Bizarre creatures--resemble
lacewings with raptorial forelegs, like a
mantid. One species is a wasp mimic. Arnett, gives a key to subfamilies, p. 348 and to genera of Mantispinae, p. 349
(1). Family characteristics
(1) (2):
prothorax elongated, neck-like
front legs modified for catching prey--with claw and spines
front legs originate from anterior part of thorax (at front of elongated prothorax), so that only four legs are usually used for walking--front legs are held up, used for catching prey
head triangular with large eyes, mantid-like
Range
Mostly southern North America
Life Cycle
Stalked eggs typically laid in large numbers. Larvae undergo
hypermetamorphosis. In some genera, larvae are
parasitoids of spiders. Others are more generalist predators of other insects, especially terrestrial larvae of scarab beetles, noctuid moths, and certain wasps.
Illustration of life cycle:
Print References
Arnett, pp. 348-349, fig. 23.10
(1)
Brushwein JR, Hoffman KM, Culin JD. 1992.
Spider (Araneae) taxa associated with Mantispa viridis (Neuroptera: Mantispidae). The Journal of Arachnology 20: 153–156.
Cannings and Cannings, 2006. The Mantispidae (Insecta: Neuroptera) of Canada, with notes on morphology, ecology, and distribution. Can. Entomologist 138: 531-544. (
PDF)
Hoffman, K.M. 1992. Systematics of the Mantispinae (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) of North, Central and South America. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA. xiii + 501 pp.
Hoffman KM. 2002. Family Mantispidae. In: Penny ND, ed. A Guide to the Lacewings (Neuroptera) of Costa Rica. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 53(12): 161-457.
Milne, p. 527, figs. 303-306, they illustrate Mantispa and Climaciella
(3)
Penny, N.D. 1982. Review of the generic level classification of the New World Mantispidae (Neuroptera). Acta Amazonica, 12:209-233.
Redborg, K.E. 1998. BIOLOGY OF THE MANTISPIDAE. Annual Review of Entomology, 43: 175-194.
Redborg, K.E. & E.G. MacLeod. 1985. The developmental ecology of Mantispa uhleri Banks (Neuroptera: Mantispidae). Illinois Biol. Monogr., 53. 130 pp.
Internet References
BugPeople-discusses California species
