Mantidfly
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| Image:Mantispidae fg1.jpg Mantispidae, Carnarvon National Park, Queensland, Australia
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Mantidflies, also called mantid lacewings or mantisflies, are small (20-47mm) winged insects in the family Mantispidae.
They belong to the order Neuroptera, which includes the lacewings as well. Mantidflies are sometimes wasp mimics, but they get their name from their mantis-like appearance, as their spiny front legs are modified to catch prey ("raptorial") and are very similar to the front legs of mantids. The adults are predatory insects that are often nocturnal, and are sometimes attracted by porch lights, or blacklights. They actively chase their prey, which consists of small moths, caterpillars, and any other thing they can catch. They are usually green, brown, yellow, and sometimes pink, and have 4 membranous wings which may sometimes be patterned (especially in wasp mimicking species) but are usually clear. They lay small, green, stalked eggs in clusters. The larvae are parasitoids on spider eggs, bee larvae, or wasp larvae. Larvae undergo hypermetamorphosis, being campodeiform in the first instar and scarabaeiform in later instars. There are many genera and species worldwide, especially in the tropics and subtropics, but only 6 genera and 15 species in North America:
