#green mantisfly

[onenicebugperday]

Green mantidfly, Zeugomantispa minut, Mantispidae, Neuroptera

Adult mantidflies are generalist predators that will eat just about any arthropod they can subdue with their raptorial forelimbs. Larvae of mantidflies in the subfamily Mantispinae, on the other hand, have a more interesting lifestyle. After hatching, the larvae seek out female spiders whose bodies they board and hide on until the spider lays an egg sac. The larva then leaves the spider’s body and enters the egg sac where it proceeds to feed on the eggs with mandibles modified for piercing and sucking. It then pupates inside the egg sac before emerging as an adult.

Mantidfly larva on female spider:

Photo 1 by misspt, 2-3 by mmmmbugs, 4 by bbull, 5-6 (laying eggs) by joseph92, 7-8 by treegrow, 9 by flecksy, 10 (for scale) by lnoctis, and 11 (larva of related species) by kim_fleming

#animals #curators on tumblr #insects #bugs #Neuroptera #mantisfly #mantidfly #green mantidfly #spider #jumping spider #larva #predation #bug death #one nice bug #long post #eggs

[crevicedwelling]

I found an insect last week I’ve wanted to see for as long as I’ve known they existed: a mantisfly! this one is Zeugomantispa minuta, the only species commonly observed where I live.

mantisflies (family Mantispidae) are named for their resemblance to mantises (order Mantodea) but themselves belong to the order Neuroptera, being related to lacewings and antlions. as adults, they closely resemble mantises, and live a similar lifestyle capturing prey with raptorial forelegs.

compared to this Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis), there are a few anatomical differences you might notice, but the biggest difference between the two is definitely their reproductive strategy.

mantises lay egg cases and develop from nymphs that resemble adults. being neuropterans, mantispid juvenile are larvae. but mantispid larvae, unlike their lacewing and antlion relatives, aren’t predators, they’re parasites! Zeugomantispa follow the strategy of starting as a leggy, highly active larva that on hatching immediately seeks out a spider egg sac to burrow into, growing into a plump grub quite different from its original appearance after feeding on the eggs. other mantispid larvae attach themselves to the adult spiders, and wait for their host to produce a sac; still others parasitize beetle or wasp larvae.

here’s a great photo of a mass of Z. minuta eggs hatching into their sac-seeking first instars!

#bugs #mantisfly #mantis #Neuroptera #insect

[humblegrub]

Trick or treat! 🐝🕷

!!! green mantisfly for you! I love her anime eyes...

(Anyone can trick or treat in my inbox on October 31st, 2023 in order to receive one of my favorite bugs!)

#halloween 2023

[seaintomulberryfields]

I remember back when I was a kid, walking my dogs, that the little neighborhood I lived in seemed so much bigger than it is now. Even going into the little green areas, logically nomore than a few acres, seemed like it constituted its own kind of adventure. One time, I saw something which I could only describe as a mix between a stick bug and a mantis, having sort of the mantis stance and the graswing arms but a very stickbug-esque face. It's actually so perfectly chimerical it makes me wonder if I did not imagine the whole thing. It seems like something I might have done, at that age, just arbitrarily decide that I wanted this to be an anecdote in advance and going with it.

One time the hospital near where I lived caught fire. I remember we all got evacuated and there was a big kerfuffle with the various fire brigades with jurisdiction over the area fighting over who was supposed to go in. I don't think there were any casualties or anything like that. My father went in and made it to a local newspaper in passing.

Anyway, I think if the bug I saw really was anything special or unusual it might have been a mantisfly. There was a little stream, probably very polluted and more than likely just runoff from somewhere, where I also saw these white crabs with bright yellow eyes; that's a good place for bugs, I figure. Although as part of the exercise in this blog I am not looking up anything about their actual biology so idk.

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

This green mantisfly (Zeugomantispa minuta) is my third species of mantidfly in the yard so far this season, and possibly my favorite. I even gave it a cartoonized glamour shot to celebrate :-)

#green mantisfly #Zeugomantispa minuta #Zeugomantispa #Mantispidae #Neuroptera #insect #mantidfly

[psikonauti]

Green Mantisfly - Zeugomantispa minuta by Colin Hutton

#Colin Hutton #Green Mantisfly #upl #insects

[boldlyscrumptiousstudentposts]

New Fungus And Animal!

Fungus

1. Fly Agaric

Animal

2. Green Mantisfly

#fly agaric #green mantisfly #mushroom

[end0skeletal-undead]

Green Mantisfly by Katja Schulz

#animals #insects #bugs #nature #curators on tumblr #mantisfly

[britsnana2]

7/31/16                             I love this bug!!!!!

Having lunch, munching on a Springtail. 

#Green Mantisfly #insect #Kentucky insects #insect photography #macro photography #nature photography #phtographers on tumblr

[toddjdreyer]

Another slow moth night, but can’t really complaint about this Zeugomantispa minuta / Green Mantisfly that flew in.

#green mantisfly #zeugomantispa minuta #neuroptera #hemerobiiformia #mantispidae #mantispinae #insect #entomology #new jersey #middlesex county

[chrysallidem]

Green Mantisfly - Zeugomantispa minuta by ColinHuttonPhoto

#green mantisfly #mantisfly #Zeugomantispa minuta #deviantart #colin hutton #colinhuttonphoto #entomology #insect #mantis fly #green mantis fly #mantid fly #green mantidfly

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Green Mantisfly (Zeugomantispa minuta)

...a species of mantisfly (a family of neuropteran insects) that occurs central and eastern North America down through Central America to Venezuela. They are active from late spring through fall and like other mantisflies they are predators and will feed on other insects. Their larvae are also parasitoids of spiders.

Classification

Animalia-Arthropoda-Insecta-Neuroptera-Hemerobiiformia-Mantispidae-Zeugomantispa-Z. minuta

Images: Derek Hauffe and Roar

#Green Mantisfly #Zeugomantispa minuta #Mantispidae #Neuroptera #Mantisfly #Arthropoda #Insecta #Zeugomantispa #North America #Central America #South America

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Another green mantidfly (Zeugomantispa minuta) showed up at the light the other night, so of course I took a million pictures of it, and of course none of them came out, but here are two of the better ones :-).

#green mantisfly #mantidfly #Zeugomantispa minuta #Zeugomantispa #Mantispidae #Neuroptera #insect

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

This green mantisfly (Zeugomantispa minuta) has got yesterday’s BotD scorpionfly beat on the Otherworldly-looking creature scale by a factor of at least 5 :-).

#green mantidfly #green mantisfly #mantidfly #mantisfly #Zeugomantispa minuta #Zeugomantispa #Mantispidae #Neuroptera #insect

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Another visitor to the sheet from this past October. I love green mantidflies (Zeugomantispa minuta)!

#Zeugomantispa minuta #Zeugomantispa #Mantispidae #mantisfly #green mantidfly #green mantisfly #mantidfly #insect #Neuroptera