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Mantidfly

Insects

Mantidflies are insects of the family Mantispidae, related to lacewings and antlions within the order Neuroptera, notable for evolving raptorial front legs that closely resemble those of the unrelated praying mantis through convergent evolution. Found worldwide, most species have predatory larvae that parasitize spider egg sacs, hatching and burrowing inside to feed, while adults are free-living predators of other insects.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Parasitic 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Spiny raptorial front legs modified to catch prey, very similar to the front legs of mantids 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 3
Scientific Name
Mantispidae 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Neuroptera, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Mantidfly
In the Other Atlases

Found In

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mantispidae
  • Introduction
    Mantispidae (), commonly known as mantidflies, mantispids, mantid lacewings, mantisflies or mantis-flies, is a family of small to moderate-sized insects in the order Neuroptera.
  • Description and ecology section
    The vernacular and scientific names are derived from their mantis-like appearance, as their spiny "raptorial" front legs are modified to catch small insect prey and are very similar to the front legs of mantids (the only difference is that the pincers lack footpads and are not used for walking at all).
  • insects found worldwide especially tropics/subtropics
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2. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ1002513, descriptionView the Source
3. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Insecta
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Insectos","language":"ES"},{"name":"Insects","language":"EN"},{"name":"Insectes","language":"FR"},{"name":"昆虫纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Wikidata: Mantidfly
  • Wikidata Q1002513, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Neuroptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
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