Everything about Chrysopidae totally explained
Green lacewings are
insects in the large
family Chrysopidae of the
order Neuroptera. There about 85
genera and (differing between sources) 1,300-2,000
species in this widespread group. Members of the genera
Chrysopa and
Chrysoperla are very common in
North America and
Europe; they're very similar and many of their species have been moved from one genus to the other times and again, and in the non-scientific literature assignment to
Chrysopa and
Chrysoperla can rarely be relied upon. Since they're the most familiar neuropterids to many people, they're often simply called
"lacewings". But actually most of the diversity of Neuroptera are properly referred to as some sort of "lacewing", so
common lacewings is preferable.
Description and ecology
Green lacewings are delicate insects with a wingspan of 6 to over 65 mm, though the largest forms are
tropical. They are characterized by a wide
costal field in their wing venation, in which the cross-veins are . The bodies are usually bright green to greenish-brown, and the
compound eyes are conspicuously
golden in many species. The wings are usually translucent with a slight iridescence; some have green wing veins or a cloudy brownish wing pattern. The vernacular name
stinkflies, used chiefly for
Chrysopa species but also for others (for example
Cunctochrysa) refers to their ability to release a vile smell from paired
prothoracal glands when handled.
Adults have
tympanal organs at the forewings' base, enabling them to hear well. Some
Chrysopa show evasive behavior when they hear a
bat's
ultrasound calls: when in flight, they close their wings (making their
echolocational signal smaller) and drop down to the ground. Green lacewings also use substrate or body vibrations as a form of communication between themselves, especially during courtship. Species which are nearly identical
morphologically may sometimes be separated more easily based on their mating signals. For example the southern European
Chrysoperla mediterranea looks almost identical to its northern relative
Chrysoperla carnea, but their courtship "songs" are very different; individuals of one species won't react to the other's vibrations.
Larvae have either a more slender "
humpbacked" shape with a prominent bulge on the
thorax, or are plumper, with long bristles jutting out from the sides. These will collect debris and food remains - the empty
integuments of
aphids, most notably - that provide
camouflage from birds.
Adults are
crepuscular or
nocturnal. They feed on
pollen,
nectar and
honeydew supplemented with
mites,
aphids and other small
arthropods, and some, namely
Chrysopa, are mainly
predatory. Others feed almost exclusively on nectar and similar substances, and have
symbiotic yeasts in their digestive tract to help break down the food into
nutrients
Selected genera
Compared to other Neuroptera, which have an extensive, sometimes extremely abundant,
fossil record, green lacewings are not known from that many fossils, and these are not generally well-studied.
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chrysopidae'.
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