55 Neuroptera

Neuroptera

The order Neuroptera (“neuro” = “nerve”, or “net”) includes the lacewings, antlions, and mantisflies. This is the first truly holometabolous order that we will see in lab. It is a fairly heterogeneous group, but all adults are characterized by a network of veins on the wings.

Chrysopidae

The green lacewings, Chrysopidae, are predaceous as both adults and larvae. Stalked eggs are common in this family, presumably to reduce cannibalism when the eggs begin to hatch. Larvae have hollow mandibles that are modified for sucking fluids from their prey. The adults are relatively slow, delicate, “fluttery” fliers. Most are preserved in ethanol, as they do shrivel, but adults can be pinned. True to their name, most adult lacewings are greenish. An adult and a larva are pictured. Notice that the costal veins, along the leading edge of the forewing, are simple and not forked.

Hemerobiidae

The brown lacewings, Hemerobiidae, are quite similar to the Chrysopidae, and have a similar biology. Adults tend to be brownish, with setae on their wings. The costal veins are forked, however, making it reasonably easy to tell these two families apart.

Myrmeleontidae

Myrmeleontidae, the antlions, burrow in loose, sandy soil as larvae. When insects, such as ants, encounter the steep-sided burrow, they get caught in tiny landslides, and end up at the bottom of a funnel-shaped pit. At the bottom, the larval antlion is waiting to eat them. We have a couple of adult antlions in the collection, but no larvae. Notice the prominent, clubbed antennae.

Mantispidae

Mantispidae, the mantisflies, are very strange looking insects. They have the characteristic net-veined wings of all Neuroptera, an elongated prothorax, and raptorial front legs that resemble those of a mantis. Some Mantispidae have larvae that feed on spider eggs in the egg sac of the spider. Adult females must find the spider eggs, and one way they do that is to hitchhike on a female spider, usually a wolf spider.