Explanation of Names
Leptomantispa Hoffman, 2002
from the Latin leptō from the Ancient Greek λεπτός ('slender, thin') + mantispa (referring to mantidfly genera)
from the genus Mantispa, derived from the genus Mantis + the Latin pāgāna ('area outside of a city or countryside')
from the Ancient Greek μάντις (mantis) meaning 'soothsayer' (referring to the raptorial forelegs, which were thought to resemble hands held in prayer)
Numbers
A single species in our area
(1); 9 spp. worldwide
(2)(
Machado & Rafael 2007)
Identification
Characters of the genus
(3):
Numerous fine
setae visible in lateral view on the dorsal surface of the
pronotum
Pterostigma Forming >40° angle with end of RA (=anterior radial vein)
Body with yellow and brown tones
Pronotum smooth (no appreciable transverse ridges), with short
setae distributed uniformly throughout its entire length
(4):
L. pulchella is easily mistaken for
Dicromantispa (and vice versa); differences are very hard to see in most images. In
Dicromantispa, pronotum has evident transverse ridges
(4) and very inconspicuous setae (small patches of very short, fine hairs at each end + at most very sparse ones in between). Wing venation is conspicuously simpler than in
Dicromantispa.
Range
New World (Canada to Argentina)
(5)(3)(4)(6)Print References
Hoffman K.M., Hamilton S.W. (1988) First record of a mantispine larva (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) associated with an adult caddisfly (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae). Ent. News 99(3): 161-163. (
Full text)