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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 · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Mantidfly - Climaciella brunnea Climaciella brunnea wasp mantidfly - Climaciella brunnea Wasp Mantidfly Climaciella brunnea - Climaciella brunnea Mantispidae, dorsal - Climaciella brunnea Unknown - Climaciella brunnea Wasp Mantidfly - Climaciella brunnea wasp mantidfly - Climaciella brunnea - male
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
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Climaciella brunnea Say, 1824
Climaciella brunnea var. instabilis Opler, 1981
Climaciella rubescens Stitz, 1913
Climaciella rubescens var. laciniata Stitz, 1913
Climaciella rubescens var. unicolor Stitz, 1913
Mantispa brunnea Banks, 1911
Climaciella brunnea var. occidentis (Banks, 1911)
Climaciella occidentis (Banks, 1911)
Climaciella varia var. occidentis (Banks, 1911)
Climaciella brunnea (Banks, 1911)
Mantispa brunnea var. occidentis Banks, 1911
Mantispa burquei Provancher, 1875
Mantispa denaria Taylor, 1862
Mantispa moesta Hagen, 1861
Climaciella varia (Erichson, 1839)
Symphrasis varia (Erichson, 1839)
Mantispa varia Erichson, 1839
Mantispa brunnea 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 are parasitoids of spiders. Adults come to lights.

eggs; adult female; adult male:
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
Wikipedia
University of Colorado Museum of Natural History - life history
North Carolina State Univ. Entomology Collection lists for that state, with 41 pinned.
Resource Partitioning of prey in Mantispa, Climaciella
Neuroptera of Florida
Invasive.org - Links to several images
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
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, Robert H. Biagi
Last updated 23 February, 2019 - 9:09pm

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