Tag: Mantispidae

86/150: Mantidfly nymphs take the word “cowboy” to a new level: they ride spiders!

Jul 24, 2017

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by

Ian Thompson

in #Biodiversity150

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae: Mantispinae: Leptomantispa: Leptomantispa pulchella (Banks 1912) A Praying Mantis with spider riding nymphs?! Not quite! But this lovely mantid mimic is a member of the order Neuroptera, with the common name of ‘Mantid Fly.’ This species (Leptomantispa pulchella) has a large range all the way from Costa Rica to Canada.