What is this?

[Leah]

Found outside my window in SW Missouri. Damaged the wings and abdomen while sliding paper underneath to pick it up. It is about 1/8" not counting the wing length.

 

[dino]

Hello,

Well my bets are on a lacewing, but it looks so much just like a mantis. Maybe you discovered a new type of mutated mantis. :wink:

 

[Leah]

Its not a lacewing - here is a photo from http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/ showing a lacewing for comparison.

 

[dino]

I know what a lacewing looks like, but I said it looks so much like a mantis though.

 

[specy]

Mantidfly?

http://eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/Neuroptera/mantispid.htm

 

[Leah]

Good call - that appears to be it. Thanks - we have the most strange insects here.

 

[dino]

We should try to breed these eh? Interesting creatures.

 

[Joe]

i dont know if we can breed these :? since my feild guild says that they gont have an incomplete metamorphasis(srry cant spell) it says that they appear as beetle like larvae and are internal parasites to wasp nests and spider egg sacks(as said in specy's link). they look pretty cool, but it would be a pain to raise.

Joe

 

[dino]

O that is too bad man, but I thought it was a nother type of mantis we could breed and sell. 8)

 

[Ian]

yeah, that does look cool, almost like a leaf insect with wings in that pic.

Cheers,

Ian

 

[Rick]

mantid fly

 

[dino]

O well looks like mantis food to me. :lol: Also the place I told you guys about www.planetnatural.com has Lacewings for sale. I think I'm going to buy some and feed to my mantids. They also have other insects you can buy and feed to your mantis, but I think some they have are dangerous or too expensive ( some things are cheap though.)