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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Antlions, Owlflies, Lacewings, Mantidflies and Allies (Neuroptera) » Lacewings, Mantidflies and Allies (Hemerobiiformia) » Mantidflies (Mantispidae) » Mantispinae » Climaciella » Wasp Mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea)

Species Climaciella brunnea - Wasp Mantidfly

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Wasp on potato plant leaf, - Climaciella brunnea

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Neuroptera (Antlions, Owlflies, Lacewings, Mantidflies and Allies)

Suborder Hemerobiiformia (Lacewings, Mantidflies and Allies)

Family Mantispidae (Mantidflies)

Subfamily Mantispinae

Genus Climaciella

Species brunnea (Wasp Mantidfly)

Other Common Names

Western Mantispid, Brown Mantidfly

Explanation of Names

Author is Say, 1824.

Size

23-30 (35?) mm

Identification

Large mantidfly, Batesian mimic of Polistes wasp, compare:

Found on flowers in spring, may come to lights into summer.

Range

Southern parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec (Cannings & Cannings, 2006). Widespread in the United States. South to Costa Rica.

Habitat

Old fields, etc., with flowers.

Season

Spring (late May), into summer. Males short-lived, just in spring. Females live longer.

Food

Predatory on other insects (and other Mantidflies), especially those coming to flowers. Also takes some nectar and sap.

Life Cycle

Males and females found on flowers in spring, where mating presumably occurs. Larvae parasitoids of spiders. Adults come to lights.

Print References

Arnett p. 349 (1)

Cannings and Cannings, 2006. The Mantispidae (Insecta: Neuroptera) of Canada, with notes on morphology, ecology, and distribution. Can. Entomologist 138: 531-544 (abstract).

Eaton and Kaufman, pp. 222-223, color photo (2)

Evans, p. 149--color photo (3)

Marshall, photo 255.1 (4)

Internet References

University of Colorado Museum of Natural History - life history

North Carolina State Univ. Entomology Collection lists for that state, with 41 pinned.

Found in Costa Rica

Resource Partitioning of prey in Mantispa, Climaciella

Neuroptera of Florida

Invasive.org - Links to several images

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

2.	Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America Eric Eaton, Kenn Kaufman. 2006. Houghton Mifflin.

3.	National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders & Related Species of North America Arthur V. Evans. 2007. Sterling.

4.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.

Contributed by Cotinis on 14 July, 2004 - 9:21am
Additional contributions by Matthias Buck, Ron M., marcie oconnor
Last updated 20 June, 2018 - 1:05pm

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