Species Leptomantispa pulchella

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Works Cited

California mantidfly - Leptomantispa pulchella

Leptomantispa pulchella? - Leptomantispa pulchella

New Manstipid species for Orange County - Leptomantispa pulchella

Mantidfly with caddisfly prey - Leptomantispa pulchella

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Neuroptera (Antlions, Lacewings, and Allies)

Suborder Hemerobiiformia (Lacewings and Allies)

Family Mantispidae (Mantid Lacewings)

Subfamily Mantispinae

Genus Leptomantispa

Species pulchella (Leptomantispa pulchella)

Explanation of Names

Leptomantispa pulchella (Banks 1912)

pulchella 'pretty'

Identification

Pronotum with no appreciable transverse ridges but with numerous fine setae visible in lateral view throughout its entire length(1)

pterostigma forming an angle of >40° with the end of the RA

NB: can be easily confused with paler specimens of Dicromantispa sayi

Range

Canada (sw. ON, so. BC(1)) to Costa Rica(2)

Food

Hosts are spiders commonly found on foliage (Anaphaenidae, Salticidae, Clubioidae, etc.) who also build silken retreats on leaves and under bark(1)

Life Cycle

First-instar larvae board spiders to gain access to freshly laid eggs; they will not feed on eggs unless they have spent some time on the dorsum of the spider pedicel, where they apparently feed on the host's haemolymph(1)

See Also

Dicromantispa sayi

Works Cited

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

2.	Mantispidae (Neuroptera) of Mexico: distribution and key to genera Reynoso-Velasco D., Contreras-Ramos A. 2008. Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 101: 703-712.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 19 August, 2006 - 9:37pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 25 August, 2021 - 10:08am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2023 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version