Mantid Lacewing – Mantispidae sp.

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Mantid Lacewing – Mantispidae sp.

Lacewings in the Mantispidae family are also known as Mantis Flies and belong to the Order Neuroptera along with Owlflies, Antlions, Brown, Green and Moth Lacewings, of which all are also found in the Esperance region. There are over 40 Australian Mantispidae spp., but around 400 worldwide, most occurring in tropical and subtropical regions. So presumably a limited number are in southern areas, including Esperance. The above is the only Mantid Lacewing I have encountered locally (seen during March) and as they are normally attracted to house lights (which are checked regularly), it would seem that they are most uncommon.

These lacewings have specially modified front legs that are formed and used in a similar way to the forelegs of Praying Mantids from the Mantodea order, which are used to capture and hold small prey. Regarding the photographed individual above, it has lost one of its grasping claws that are normally paired. It was a little over 2 cm (nearly 1”) in head/body length and strongly attracted to the house lights despite several attempts to get it to pose on a better photographic background.

Mantispidae spp. are easy to recognise, even when the claws are retracted as the neck is very long, plus the glossy transparent wings are set way back (like mantids) to permit operation of the raptorial claws. They are very interesting looking insects and initially you must think hard as to whether it is a mantis or a lacewing, but the transparent wings give it away.

The larvae of mantid flies have an unusual evolutionary adaptation by parasitising spider eggs. They will either burrow directly into a spider’s egg-sac, or hitch a ride until the female spider constructs the sac and enter it that way. The larvae will then feed on the eggs via a piercing/sucking tube formed by modified mouthparts.

Brown Lacewings - Hemerobiidae

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Brown Lacewings - Hemerobiidae

Locally, Brown Lacewings are around 1-1.5 cm (1/2”) in length and tend to be pale brown without any distinguishing marks, making them somewhat innocuous and easily overlooked. Even if noticed, most would not give them a second glance, passing them off as a little brown moth-like insect, but both they and their larvae are ravenous feeders on aphids, mealy bugs and other soft bodied insects that are normally regarded as pests. So Brown Lacewings although not much to look at, are one of the good guys!

According to the Australian Faunal Directory, there are 10 genera in the Hemerobiidae family with a total of 34 Australian species. Like the Green Lacewings, they are far more numerous in the Eastern States, with south Western Australia having only 5 species from 4 genera. Dr TR New in 1988 revised the Australian family in his manuscript ‘A revision of the Australian Hemerobiidae (Insecta : Neuroptera),’ where he described a new genus and 13 new species. No doubt others are now awaiting study.

The described Hemerobiidae species for SW coastal WA are Carobius pedicellatus, Carobius spinosus, Drepanepteryx binocula, Hemerobius tasmaniae and Psychobiella occidentalis, so presumably the photos above would illustrate one or more of these species. Brown Lacewings are often attracted to house lights after light rain on windless nights during the months of March and April.

Chrysopidae – Green Lacewings

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Chrysopidae – Green Lacewings

Chrysopidae is the best known and largest of the lacewing families, with around 2,000 species distributed worldwide. In Australia, the Australian Faunal Directory lists 59 species spread over 16 genera, most restricted to the Queensland/NSW region, but some are represented in all States. In Western Australia there are 14 known species of which 6 occur in the southern district (not necessarily Esperance).

There are two individuals shown above; one has a head/body length of 1.2 cm (1/2”) and the other 1.8 cm (3/4”) in length, which may only be a size variation, or it may indicate a different gender/species. This is because most lacewings are very similar and notoriously difficult to tell apart, with some distinguished purely by their mating calls. Most adult lacewings will feed on blossom nectar and pollen, with some also taking small invertebrates.

Green Lacewings are well known for being attracted to house lights, so are reasonably easy to determine if they are common or not, but in the sandy Esperance heath they are rarely seen. This may reflect the dry open habitat not being suited to the highly mobile larvae that hunt aphids and small invertebrates, which tend to favour annual and ephemeral herbaceous vegetation. This type of soft tissue vegetation is locally only plentiful during winter/spring, thereby limiting the supply of suitable prey throughout the year and so denying the Green Lacewing larvae sustenance, particularly during the summer/autumn period. On the other-hand, the SW corner of the State is a much friendlier place, with cooler conditions, higher rainfall, better soils and a tall tree cover, thereby providing a more compatible environment to support a greater number of lacewing species. Locally the few encountered have been during August and September.

Moth Lacewing - Ithone westraliensis – Ithonidae

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Moth Lacewing - Ithone westraliensis – Ithonidae

In the Australian Ithonidae family, there are currently 14 Moth Lacewing species that are divided into 3 genera with Ithone being the largest. From what I can gather this species, Ithone westraliensis, is the only one in the Esperance district and whose distribution reaches to the southwest and to the north of Perth. These Moth Lacewings belong to a primitive line of insects with fossils (discovered in Brazil, South America) dating back to the Early Cretaceous (over 100 million years ago) and as the majority of Ithonidae species are located in the Australian region, indicates a strong Gondwana connection.

Although never plentiful, this lacewing locally is not uncommon and can be encountered during December and January on warm, calm and humid nights, when some individuals (all male) are attracted to house lights. When I first came across these lacewings I did not know what they were and initially filed them under moths to be investigated later. This happened when I started collating the lacewings and after reading about them, I knew immediately where this species belonged.

They are chunky, growing to around 2.5 cm (1") in length and despite looking very much like a moth, their wings are hairy (not scaly) along the veins, plus they lack a proboscis, which is replaced by mandibles. The males have large claspers at the rear of their abdomen that are used to hold the female during mating; whilst the females apparently have a ploughshare-like ovipositor that is used to lay eggs (singularly) in sandy soil. The grub-like larvae dig into the soil in search of scarab beetle larvae on which it feeds. Moth Lacewings may not be spectacular to look at, but they are quite an intriguing invertebrate.

Antlion/Lacewing - Myrmeleontidae species

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Antlion/Lacewings - Myrmeleontidae sp.

From the Lacewing order Neuroptera, those in the family Myrmeleontidae are commonly known as Antlions, due to their larvae burying themselves in dry soil (forming small round pits or depressed snail-like tracks) to grasp any passing ant or small insect, with their large body-fluid sucking mandibles. To ensure capture, they will flick fine grains at their intended prey to make them slip further into the pit and into their waiting jaws.

The nocturnal flying adults are easily recognised by their curved (hockey-stick shaped) antennae and are commonly found in lower rainfall regions or where there are plenty of overhangs, particularly rocks that will shelter the larval pit traps from rain. These conditions obviously provide the Antlion/Lacewing with a considerable amount of suitable habitat within Australia, making them the most common lacewing group with over 250 known species.

Above are two distinct species, a long haired one that grows to around 4 cm in body length from the subfamily Acanthaclisinae, and a shorter haired one that is around 2.5 cm in length from the Myrmeleontinae subfamily. The larvae of both are very similar in shape requiring microscopic examination to determine more subtle differences, but both are very common in the fine white sandy soil that typifies the Banksia speciosa heath east of Esperance.

Insectivorous bats would be a major predator of these night flying insects and when at rest, frogs and large spiders would also consume numbers but apart from these, Lacewings have relatively few predators. The adults are most active during the warmer months from December to February, particularly on calm, warm and humid evenings.

Owlfly - Ascalaphidae species

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Owlfly Lacewing - Ascalaphidae sp.

Although called an Owlfly, it is not a fly at all, but a Lacewing/Antlion. These insects belong to the Order Neuroptera and include several families, with Ascalaphidae containing some the most ornamental. Despite other Lacewing species being reasonably common locally, I had not encountered one of these before and at first sight with its expanded wings, thought it might be a dragonfly, but the elongated clubbed antennae soon put me right and later proved to be an important taxonomic feature.

Owlflies are distributed worldwide with Australia apparently having around 40 species and most of these occurring in northern regions where it is warmer and seasonally drier. The one photographed was discovered by its eye-reflection at night on a heath sedge-like plant around 15 cm (6”) off the ground and as these insects normally hunt during the day, was presumably at rest. Like dragonflies, Owlflies are also carnivorous and strong fliers, taking their prey on the wing, however they will usually rest as shown, whilst waiting for something edible to fly past.

The head/body length was a good 3 cm (11/4”) in length, and the orange spots edged in black literally glowed in the torchlight. The abdomen seemed to be semi-opaque, but may have been a light grey with splashes of yellow paint. I stress the word paint as all markings looked like they had been casually but artistically applied, yet this made the overall affect even more appealing. A very impressive looking insect and one I am pleased to have seen and been able to photograph.