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*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!
Order Neuroptera: lacewings and antlions — Examples
Chrysopidae (the green lacewings)
Golden-eyed lacewing, Chrysopa oculata, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Lacewing is an excellent name for this golden-eyed lacewing and other lacewings. Their huge, graceful wings do resemble intricately sewn lace.
Photographed and identified by: Jackie Lucier. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 21 June, 2009.
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Common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ These excellent views of a common green lacewing show off its amazing eyes, how its legs connect to its underside, and the intricate veining in its wings.
□ Note: Chrysoperla carnea is considered to be a group of indistinguishable species, so it sometimes written as Chrysoperla carnea-group.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans.
See Thomas’s full-size images here and here.
Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 10 February, 2018.
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Common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ This common green lacewing has a wide distribution, and is found in suitable habitat nearly everywhere in the world. This one was photographed in England.
Photographed and identified to family by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Location: Oxford, England. Date: 10 October, 2019.
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Common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
Photographed and identified by: Jackie Lucier. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 27 September, 2007.
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Common green lacewing, larva, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Lacewing larvae look very different from the adults! Compare this common green lacewing larva with the adult shown elsewhere on this page.
Photographed and identified by: Jackie Lucier. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 27 July, 2012.
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Common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Because common green lacewing larvae eats so many aphids, it is often sold as a biocontrol agent. It is even sometimes called an aphid-lion.
Photographed and identified by: Gail Rowley, Ozark Stream Photography. Location: Texas County, Missouri. Date: 24 August, 2015.
Gail says, “ “It was just waking up, on a Little Bluestem stalk, as I recall.”
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Common green lacewing, larva, Chrysoperla carnea, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Another nice photograph of a common green lacewing larva — this time from Las Vegas!
Photographed by: Antioco Carrillo. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Date: 28 May, 2017.
Antioco says, “Found this in our back yard. It pinches and leaves a mark. Seems to be about a centimeter long. |
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Red-lipped green lacewing, Chrysoperla rufilabris, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ The red-lipped green lacewing does have a red patch on its face (close-up at right). The row of equally sized cells at the leading edge of the wings shows up well in the photo at left.
Photographed and identified by: Tommy Vick. Location: Davis Mountains, Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Date: 26 May, 2020.
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Green lacewing in the genus Chrysoperla, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ This nymph of a green lacewing has a bold green stripe down its body.
Photographed by: Kate Kronreif. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Vienna, Austria. Date: 16 January, 2024.
Kate says, “Over the last four or five days, they are appearing on (and on inspection, underneath) our dining room table.”
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Golden-eyed lacewing, Chrysopa oculata, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Compare to the golden-eyed lacewing (pictured elsewhere on this page), which has brown striping on the head. The common green lacewing lacks the striping.
Photographed and identified by: Jackie Lucier. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 11 July, 2011.
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Abachrysa eureka (no specific common name), subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ Most members of this family are green, which is why the family is known as the green lacewings, but this Abachrysa eureka is a beautiful exception with its black-and-white speckles, and yellow-gold highlights.
Photographed and identified to order by: Ray Saucedo.
Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Clearwater, Florida, USA.
Date: 26 January, 2021.
Ray says, “Answering the questions in the insect identifier key enabled me to discover the order quite quickly. This coming from someone not familiar with entomology in the least.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “So happy to hear that!”
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A lacewing larva in the genus Ceraeochrysa, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ These two photos give a nice look at this lacewing larva with the accumulation of debris it has gathered and carries around. The larva is carnivorous and uses its sharp and curves jaws to grap and puncture the body of prey, including mites. The jaws are hollow and serve as straws to draw up the prey’s liquefied body contents.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA.
Date: 8 April, 2024.
Marv says, “Every day I discover a new species. (So what if biologists have known about it for millennia?)”
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A green lacewing larva in the genus Ceraeochrysa, subfamily Chrysopinae, family Chrysopidae.
□ The large pincers and head of this larva of a green lacewing can be seen extending from a pile of debris that it has accumulated on its back. The debris help to conceal the larva, so it can sneak up on prey. Sometimes, the debris on its back are inedible bits and pieces from its prey.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 20 December, 2018.
Marv says, “Looks like an insect garbage collector. On a vertical surface; less than a quarter of an inch long (including its haul).”
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A green lacewing larva in the family Chrysopidae.
□ This excellent closeup shows the thin and sharp pincers on this 0.25-inch-long (6 mm) larva of a green lacewing. It uses the pincers to grab and spear its meal: aphids.
Photographed by: Joe Biczak. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northwestern New Jersey, USA. Date: 5 August, 2017.
Joe says, “It was on my pillowcase when I woke up.” That leads him to think it may have travelled with him from the previous day’s trip to Buttermilk Falls, which is part of the Delaware Water Gap near Pennsylvania. |
A green lacewing larva in the family Chrysopidae.
Photographed by: Shanna Clankie. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Illinois, USA. Date: 11 September, 2017.
Shanna says this little critter pinched her. “I jumped and it landed on my shirt where I took the picture.” KnowYourInsects.org applauds Shanna’ composure in taking a photo after getting pinched!
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A green lacewing larva in the family Chrysopidae.
□ This immature aphid-loving green lacewing make an interesting introduction to the photographer. See his comments below.
Photographed by: William Molidor. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Los Angeles County, California, USA. Date: 31 July, 2019.
William says, “This little (4 or 5 mm) thing was in my ear. Not down in the canal, just at the entrance.” |
A green lacewing larva in the family Chrysopidae.
□ The larvae of green lacewings have large pincers, which are visible poking out from the pile of debris that this larva has amassed on its back. These larvae use their pincers to seize prey.
Photographed by: B. Czinski. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sweetwater Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA. Date: 8 August, 2016.
B. Czinski says, “We found it climbing up the tent in northern mid-Michigan in the middle of a forest, dry and sandy.”
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Lacewing nymphs (immatures) may carry around a variety of debris on their backs: fuzz, bits of lichen or plants, or even pieces of their insect prey.
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A lacewing larva in the order Neuroptera.
□ The legs of this lacewing larva are peeking out from its fuzz-covered body as it crawls along the photographer’s finger. See her story below.
Photographed by: Emily Carr. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Cumberland, Virginia, USA. Date: 16 September, 2022.
Emily says, “It was on my leg initially and I thought it was dust ... until it started moving on its own.”
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A green lacewing larva in the family Chrysopidae.
□ The left photo is a screenshot from a video of this green lacewing larva running across a counter. Its body is covered with fuzzy debris. KnowYourInsects.org added some highlights to the right image to show the head (yellow), thorax (blue), and pincers (green).
Photographed by: Técara Bredenkamp. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: South Africa. Date: 8 January, 2025.
Técara says, “This little bug has our whole family curious.... This is super cool!”
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Lacewing eggs in the order Neuroptera.
□ These are the typical-looking eggs of a lacewing (species unknown). They stand upright from plant stems, with the eggs perching on fine, hair-like stalks.
Photographed by: Andrea Newman. Submitted via: Permaculture Gardens. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Houston, Texas, USA.
Date: August, 2022.
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Hemerobiidae (the brown lacewings)
Brown lacewing, Hemerobius humulinus, subfamily Hemerobiinae, family Hemerobiidae.
□ Green lacewings in the family Chrysopidae have a row of square cells along the leading edge of their forewings. Brown lacewings in the family Hemerobiidae, on the other hand, have a row of cells with Y-shaped veins. The veins are not visible in this photo, so to see the difference, click here (University of California).
Photographed by Eric Smith. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Hoover, Alabama, USA. Date: 16 May 2017.
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Variegated brown lacewing, Micromus variegatus, subfamily Microminae, family Hemerobiidae.
□ The variegated brown lacewing has a long, almost wrinkled-looking thorax; a dark head with round, copper-colored eyes; and wings covered with various patterns of large and small brown spots. This photo also shows the bead-like segments of its antennae.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Excellent ID, Jean-Louis!
Location: Oxford, England, UK.
Date: 23 July, 2023.
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A brown lacewing in the family Hemerobiidae.
□ This appears to be a brown lacewing. The pointed beak is similar to that of a scorpionfly, but the scorpionfly’s beak is longer. (To see a scorpionfly, click here.) The pattern of wing veins (not visible in this photo) would help determine the type of brown lacewing. To see a nice comparison of wing veins, click here and scan to the images of the wings (BugGuide.net).
Photographed by: Robin Mastrangelo. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Nevada, USA.
Date: 2 April, 2024.
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Myrmeleontidae (the antlions)
Picture-winged antlion, Glenurus gratus, subfamily Nemoleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Wow! Look at the beautiful pink/lavender and black tips on the ends of the wings of this picture-winged antlion! The larvae of this species actually live in holes in trees, rather than buried in soil as other antlion larvae do. And as their name suggests, they prey on ants.
Photographed by Chris Moore. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Date: 14 June 2017.
Chris says, “It looks like a cross between a butterfly/moth and dragonfly, but I've never seen a bug with transparent wings with color on end of wings.... My critter-loving daughter, (who) I call Doodlebug, was stumped!”
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Picture-winged antlion, Glenurus gratus, subfamily Nemoleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ As an adult, this species of picture-winged antlion can grow to be 2 inches (5 cm) long. See the photographer’s comment below.
Photographed and identified by: Carolyn Finelli.
Location: Fenwick Island (near the seashore), Delaware, USA.
Date: 19 July, 2018.
Carolyn says, “This insect was new to me so I snagged the photo to learn more about it. A truly fascinating insect, especially in the larva stage, but after all is said and done, it’s also a great ‘Ugly Duckling’ story as it goes from larva to adult. ”
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Picture-winged antlion, Glenurus gratus, subfamily Nemoleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ This picture-winged antlion has wings that are crisscrossed with lots of veins, and the tips look as if they have been dipped in paint.
Photographed by: Lori Herring.
Location: Webster County, Missouri, USA.
Date: 30 July, 2020.
Lori says, “This is the first insect of this sort that we have seen in forty years of living at the same location. We always have a healthy number of a variety of insects, but this was new to us.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “We LOVE when ‘new’ happens!”
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Picture-winged antlion, Glenurus gratus, subfamily Nemoleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ This scientific species name of this picture-winged antlion is gratus, which means pleasing, and this insect is sometimes called a “pleasing picture-winged antlion.”
Photographed and identified by: Nichole Tweedle.
Location: Marshal county Alabama, USA.
Date: 28 June, 2020.
Nichole did the research and identified this one herself. She says, “I am new to Alabama and the southern parts of the United States, so still have a lot of learning to do!”
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Picture-winged antlion, Euptilon arizonense, subfamily Nemoleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ This species of picture-winged antlion has an abdomen reminescent of a stack of dominoes. The white spotting extends up on the thorax and head, and it also has short bands of thin black lines on its forewings.
Photographed by: Melissa Karner. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Surprise, Arizona, USA.
Date: 9 June, 2021.
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Brachynemurus sackeni (no specific common name), male, subfamily Myrmeleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The immature version of this antlion is often called a doodlebug. The curved appendages on the hind end (the “tails”) help distinguish this as a male.
Photographed by Bill Flor. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, USA. Date: 2 July 2017.
Bill describes, “Photographed this insect on the siding of a house under an overhang on its north side.... It’s about an inch or a little more in length.”
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North Carolina antlion, Peruveleon dorsalis, subfamily Myrmeleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The North Carolina antlion has bristles along its legs, and a small white stigma (marking at the leading edge and toward the tip of each forewing).
Photographed by: Genesis Haskell. Submitted and identified by: Aubrey Wiggins. Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
Date: 22 May, 2018.
Aubrey says, “We both appreciate the service you are providing with
your KnowYourInsect.org website.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Glad to be of help!”
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Gregarious antlion, Hagenomyia tristis, subfamily Myrmeleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The gregarious antlion looks very similar to the antlion known by the scientific name of Banyutus lethalis (no common name), and the two species often fly together in swarms. One difference is that the larvae of the gregarious antlion dig pits, and those of Banyutus lethalis do not. Another is the shape of the wings, which are wider in the gregarious antlion.
Photographed by: Sarah Park. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Maroua, Cameroon.
Date: 2017.
Sarah says, “it looks like a dragonfly, but flies like a moth.”
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An antlion in the genus Myrmeleon, subfamily Myrmeleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ With their long, thin bodies and narrow wings, antlions are often mistaken for damselflies, but they are in a different insect order altogether. Their wings, as shown here, are often iridescent.
□ The larva of antlions in this genus (Myrmeleon) dig pits to capture prey. The larva buries itself at the bottom of the pit, and waits for an ant to slide into the pit so it can use its strong jaws to grab the ant.
Photographed by: Sheldon L. Boyd. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: The Villages, Florida, USA. Date: 9 June, 2018.
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Vella americana (no specific common name), subfamily Acanthaclisinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The photographer spotted this giant antlion on a car tire. Many of the antlions dig pits to catch prey, but this species does not. Instead, it buries itself in sand with its jaws at the surface and waits for a prey animal (an ant or other invertebrate, including spiders or isopods) to inadvertantly step on the jaws. The larva quickly grabs the prey, and scoots downward into the sand, dragging the prey with it for an underground meal.
□ This is identified as Vella americana rather than Vella fallax based on geography — only Vella americana is found in North Carolina.
Photographed by: Chip Hardick. Identified by: entomologist John D. Oswald, Texas A&M University. Thank you, Dr. Oswald!
Location: Corolla, Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA.
Date: 2 July, 2021.
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A giant antlion, probably Vella americana, subfamily Acanthaclisinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Two species of giant antlions look very similar: Vella americana and Vella fallax. Entomologist John Oswald suspects this is the former, because is has “generally has more dark markings on the wing — a rather vague and poorly quantifiable character.”
□ A so-called banksian line, “an area in the distal middle part of the wing that contains a set of aligned vein segments and crossveins” would verify the identification: Vella americana has this feature, but V. fallax does not, Dr. Oswald says. This photo does not show that level of detail.
Photographed by: Eddie Walker. Identified by: entomologist John D. Oswald, Texas A&M University. Thank you, Dr. Oswald!
Location: south Texas, USA. Date: 7 July, 2021.
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Vella americana (no specific common name), subfamily Acanthaclisinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Vella americana has so many cool features: the banded antennae with the slight outward curl at the end, the bristly front legs, the geometric pattern on the back and the finely veined wings. There is a possibility that this is the nearly identical species Vella fallax instead of Vella americana (see prior entry), as both occur in Florida where this photo was taken.
Photographed by: Trish Brown. Identified by: entomologist John D. Oswald, Texas A&M University. Thank you, Dr. Oswald!
Location: central Florida, USA. Date: 17 September, 2020.
Trish says this approximately 3-inch-long visitor was quietly sitting outside her front door.
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Acanthaclisis occitanica (no specific common name), subfamily Acanthaclisinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Acanthaclisis occitanica has a near-solid stripe of black down its wings, but in many other individuals in this species, the stripe is broken so it looks more like a dashed, black-and-white line.
□ The photographer notes that the local (southwest Greece) name for the strong-jawed, burrowing nymph (immatures) of this antlion is “little devil,” no doubt because it is frequently found in beach sand, and those jaws can deliver a bit of a pinch!
Photographed and identified to family by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwest Greece. Date: 22 June, 2022.
Yanni says, “I took it from the beach on a stick all the way back home to photograph it, as I didn't have my phone on me. It stayed on the stick the whole time when I was walking back home. When I entered the house, it must have sensed the change in light and started flying, which became a nightmare to photograph it.”
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Synclisis antlion, nymph (immature), Synclisis baetica, subfamily Myrmeleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ This synclisis antlion nymph has an intricate black-and-white pattern, but the most attention-getting feature is the pair of large, pincer-like jaws that it uses to capture and subdue prey. See the photographer’s description below.
□ The adult is gray and brown with quite hairy front legs and a pretty black pattern on its thorax. To see the adult, click here (biodiversidadvirtual.org).
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Identification confirmed by: Dr. Davide Badano of Sapienza University of Rome. Thank you, Dr. Badano! Location: mainland of southwest Greece. Date: 17 June, 2020.
Yanni found this antlion nymph in the sand on a beach. Yanni says, “I had to engineer a way to take it home and photograph it, which was to take sand in a bottle and use a colander at home to isolate it and stop it from escaping, because it was so fast!
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An antlion, nymph (immature), family Myrmeleontidae.
□ This antlion nymph has some formidable jaws! Adult antlions look much different from the larva — it is an amazing transformation.
Photographed by: Bapi Debnath. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Indranagar, Tripura, India. Date: 7 April, 2017.
Bapi says, “It lives in the dry soil making a short hole, and remains covered by soil.”
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The jaws of antlion nymphs (immatures) are typically as large as the head and shaped like the blade of a landscape scythe, but with added spikes along the inside of the blade. To see closeups of nymphs from a variety of species, click here (Zootaxa journal article).
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Palpares libelluloides (no specific common name) subfamily Palparinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The giant antlion can have a wingspan of nearly 4 inches (10 cm) (see the photographer’s comment below). The curved tip on each antennae is a feature shared by many other members of this family of insects.
Photographed by: Dimitar Popov. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bulgaria, on the coast of Black Sea near the Turkey border. Date: 1 June, 2019.
Dimitar says, “What is shocking is its size: It is as big as grown man’s open paw.” Dimitar’s mother found it on her bedroom wall.
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An antlion, possibly in the genus Palpares, subfamily Palparinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Some members of this genus of antlions are quite large with body lengths of 5 cm (2 inches) or more, but the photographer estimates that this antlion was “in the region of 3 cm” in body length.
Photographed by: Jill Dunstone. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Ficksburg, South Africa. Date: 2 May, 2020.
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Spotted-winged antlion, Dendroleon speciosus, subfamily Dendroleontinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Different species of spotted-winged antlions have specific patterns of spots on their wings. The United States has two species: Dendroleon speciosus, which has speckles, but no large black spots on its wings; and Dendroleon obsoleta, which typically has one quite large black spot on each hind wing. To see the variation, click here (bugguide-net).
Photographed and identified to genus by: Tommy Vick. Nice job, Tommy!
Location: Davis Mountains, Fort Davis, Texas, USA.
Date: 22 June, 2020.
Tommy says, “It decided to show off the wings when a little breeze came in.”
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Nemopteridae (the thread-winged antlions)
Two-winged spoonwing, male, Nemoptera bipennis, subfamily Nemopterinae, family Nemopteridae.
□ An elegant creature, this two-winged spoonwing is not a very fast flier, which makes it especially beautiful as it gently flutters about.
Photographed by: Alice Connell. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Psilli Ammos Saltmarsh on Samos Island in the Dodecanese (Greek islands). Date: 7 May, 2022.
Alice submitted this photo with the comment, “I am eager to know what this specimen is.” KnowYourInsects.org is very happy to oblige.
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Sinuous spoonwing, Nemoptera sinuata, subfamily Nemopterinae, family Nemopteridae.
□ Lovely in green and black, this sinuous spoonwing visits flowers during the day to sip on nectar and take up pollen.
Photographed and identified by: Sue Chadwick. Well done, Sue! Location: Stoupa, Greece. Date: 7 June, 2023.
Sue found this spoonwing on a mule track. She says, “We are really into moths, but anything interesting does not escape our camera!”
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Croce filipennis (no specific common name), subfamily Crocinae, family Nemopteridae.
□ A species of threadwing, Croce filipennis has two long, thread-like extensions (the shadow only makes it look like four). These extensions are actually are its hind wings, which it does not use for flight. Its long rostrum (the “snout”) is ideal for reaching the nectar and pollen it eats as an adult.
Photographed by:
Shaily Birla. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org,
Location: Delhi, India.
Date: 4 April, 2023.
Shaily says, “My room in Delhi, India is often visited by these insects during the summertime.”
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A thread-winged lacewing, family Nemopteridae.
□ Those two long filaments are what give the thread-winged lacewing its common name. The filaments are actually much-modified hind wings, which are believed to possibly help stabilize the insect when it is in flight and/or to help sense a mating partner.
□ The larvae (immatures) look nothing like the adults: They are wingless, have a long “neck” (actually the prothorax) , live underground and prey upon little organisms they find there. To see one of the larvae, click here (entomologist Gil Wizen).
Photographed by: Asad Khan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pakistan. Date: 2 April, 2020.
Asad says, “It was in my lunch.”
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Ascalaphidae (the owlflies)
A split-eyed owlfly in the genus Ululodes, probably Florida owlfly, subfamily Ululodinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ The clubbed antennae and huge eyes are characteristic of the owlflies. This is a particular type of owlfly in the genus Ululodes, probably the Florida owlfly (Ululodes floridanus).
Photographed by Ben Fletcher. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: South of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Date: 13 September 2016.
Ben says it “appeared in the house after a very bad storm.”
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A split-eyed owlfly in the genus Ululodes, subfamily Ululodinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ One way to tell apart four very similar species of split-eyed owlflies is to look at the pterostigma (a little cell near the tip of each wing). In the four-spotted owlfly (Ululodes quadripunctatus), the pterostigma are cream-colored; in Macleay’s (U. macleayanus), they are all dark-colored; and in the Florida (U. floridanus) and bi-colored (U. bicolor) owlflies, they are cream-colored on the forewings and dark on the hind wings. Are the spots lighter in the forewings in this photo? It is difficult to say for sure!
Photographed by Sebastian Zimler. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: St. Augustine, Florida, USA. Date: 5 July 2020.
Ben says it “appeared in the house after a very bad storm.”
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An owlfly, possibly Macleay’s owlfly, Ululodes macleayanus, subfamily I;i;pdomaeinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ Four species of owlfly look almost identical and are very closely related, as noted in a previous entry. The pterostigma (the little colored cells at the tip of the wings) appear to be all dark-colored in this photo, which would make it a Macleay’s owlfly. See the other three species here: four-spotted owlfly with cream-colored pterostigma; and Florida and bi-colored, which both have with light-colored pterostigma on the forewings, and dark on the hind wings.
Photographed by: Bill Felder. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Kansas, USA.
Date: 12 November, 2021.
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Four-spotted owlfly, Ululodes quadripunctatus, subfamily Ululodinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ Some (but not all) four-spotted owlflies have dark markings on their wings besides the light-colored pterostigmata (a small colored cell near the tip of each wing).
Photographed and identified to family by: Anonymous. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Star, Mississippi, USA. Date: 25 July 2021.
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The genus name of Ululodes and the family name of Ascalphidae refer to the large, owl-like eyes of the owlfly. Ulula is a Greek word for owl (specifically screech owl); and Ascalphus is the name of an owl-demon in Greek mythology.
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Owly sulphur, female, Libelloides coccajus, subfamily Ascalaphinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ This owlfly, called the owly sulphur, has brilliant white on its wings, a delicate yellow pattern on its thorax and head, and a burst of dark hair at the front of its head.
Photographed by: Alistair Scott-Smith. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Acquedotto Pugliese footpath between Alberobello and Locorotondo, Puglia, southern Italy. Date: 13 May, 2019.
Alistair says, “It was originally spotted by my friend John Serenyi, but he didn’t have a decent camera with him... We had no real idea at all what it was, though I did wonder if it was some sort of lacewing species.”
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Owly sulphur, male, Libelloides coccajus, subfamily Ascalaphinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ Depending on the individual, the wings of the owly sulphur may have white to yellow patches on them (see the photographer’s comment below).
Photographed by: Paul Davies. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near the Sibillini Mountains, Marche, Italy. Date: 13 May, 2019.
Paul says, “There were a number of them in the last two days across the olive grove here.... They are spectacular-looking insects, and some with yellow and some with white markings.”
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Ascalaphus ronkayorum (no specific common name), subfamily Ascalaphinae family Ascalaphidae.
□ This species of owlfly, Ascalaphus ronkayorum, is very similar to another known as Ascalaphus tessellatus. As noted in a recent description (2021) (Global Biodiversity Information Facility), Ascalaphus ronkayorum has more transparent wings and a spur on its tibia (“shin”) that is equal in length to its front tarsus (“foot”).
□ This genus is often listed under its former name of Ogcogaster.
Photographed and identified to family by: Dr. Pushan Chakraborty of the
Jogamaya Devi College Department of Zoology. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Durgapur, Paschim Bardhman, West Bengal, India. Date: 18 July, 2021.
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Ascalaphus ronkayorum (no specific common name), subfamily Ascalaphinae, family Ascalaphidae.
□ Many species of owlflies are active at night, which is why they have the name owlflies. This one has a beautiful black and yellow pattern on its body, and a widened end on its abdomen.
Photographed by: Shubham Bhardwaj. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary, Udhampur, India. Date: 17 September, 2020.
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Indopalpares pardus (no specific common name), subfamily Ascalaphinae, family Myrmeleontidae.
□ The speckled wings, gold thorax, and red and black legs describe this pretty Indopalpares pardus. Note: Older classifications list this antlion in the genus Palpares.
Photographed by: Spoorthi Sv. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: India. Date: 18 September, 2019.
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Indopalpares pardus (no specific common name), subfamily Myrmeleontidae, family Ascalaphinae.
□ Indopalpares pardus is a fairly large owlfly, measuring about 5 cm (2 inches) in body length, and with forewings each about the same length as the body.
Photographed by: Amit Sheth. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: India.
Date: 6 October, 2024.
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Owlfly eggs and nymphs, family Ascalaphidae.
□ These owlfly nymphs are huddled on a stem between their now-empty eggs. The nymphs have large, squarish heads, long and curved jaws, and adbomens that look rather like trilobites.
Photographed by: Diganta Rabha. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Goalpara district, Assam, India.
Date: 19 June, 2021.
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Mantispidae (the mantisflies)
Brown wasp mantidfly, Climaciella brunnea, subfamily Mantispinae, family Mantispidae.
□ This brown wasp mantidfly has a body that looks rather like a wasp, grasping forelegs like a mantid, but is actually in the lacewing order (Neuroptera). And its feeding is a combination of wasp and mantid too: it eats pollen and nectar, but also preys on other insects.
Photographed by: Victoria Meller. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: southern Michigan, USA. Date: 5 July, 2023.
Victoria says it held its forelegs under the head like a mantis, and adds, “ She kept unfurling them in a grooming motion.”
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Wasp mantisfly, Dicromantispa sayi, subfamily Mantispinae, family Mantispidae.
□ This wasp mantisfly has the characteristic wings of other insects in the order Neuroptera, but the enlarged forelegs — and the posture of holding them folded like this — more reminescent of a praying mantis.
□ Another feature of the wasp mantisfly (and other mantisflies) is the enlongated thorax.
Photographed and identified by: Jackie Lucier. Location: Ontario, Canada. Date: 26 July, 2013.
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A mantidfly in the genus Plega, subfamily Symphrasinae, family Mantispidae.
□ This mantidfly looks very much like a mantid with its triangular head and raptorial forelegs, but the wings give it away as a Neuropteran. One of the forelegs is extended here, but when not in use, the Mantidfly folds the forelegs and holds them close to its body.
Photographed and identified by: Tommy Vick. Nice identification, Tommy! Location: Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Date: 24 May, 2020.
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A mantidfly in the genus Plega, subfamily Symphrasinae, family Mantispidae.
□ This beautiful shot displays this mantidfly with its raptorial forelegs bent. It also showcases the amazingly intricate net of veins in its wings.
Photographed and identified by: Tommy Vick. Location: Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Date: 27 May, 2020.
Tommy says, “This place is really buzzing right now.”
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A mantidfly in the genus Pseudoclimaciella, subfamily Symphrasinae, family Mantispidae.
□ Mantidflies in this genus (Pseudoclimaciella) are red to reddish-brown. Another characteristic of this genus is visible at the base of their wings (near the body): the base is tinged with color on the forewings (barely shown here), but clear on the hind wings (the hind wings are not visible in this photo).
Photographed: Sarah Park. Sarah’s friend identiied it as a mantisfly. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Cameroon. Date: 7 April, 2017.
Sarah took this shot on a rainy car window.
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A mantisfly in the family Mantispidae.
□ The photographer guessed this might be a baby praying mantis, and it does look like that! The wings, however, help to distinguish it as a mantisfly. They are membranous and criss-crossed with lots of veins.
Photographed by: Lisa Hetchler. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.og. Location: southern Michigan. Date: 21 September, 2019.
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Photos at the top of this website are by: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D., LMERTZ@nasw.org.
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