Praying lacewings - Praying lacewings

A general term for insects in the family Mantodea, order Insecta. They resemble lacewings, but are named after the mantis because their head, thorax, and forelimbs resemble those of a praying mantis. Their wings have yellowish brown or blackish brown leading edges and dark margins, and are mostly transparent with prominent wing veins. When at rest, they place both wings in a roof-like shape on their abdomen. From spring to summer, they can be found on the undersides of tree leaves or on shrubs, where they prey on insects. At night, they also fly to electric lights. Their eggs have long stalks like lacewings. The hatched larvae are long and slender with well-developed legs, and they invade the egg sacs of spiderlings to feed on the baby spiders, then molt to become maggot-shaped. When they reach maturity, they spin cocoons inside the egg sac and become pupae. They are found in temperate and tropical regions around the world, and representative species include the 10 mm body-length Mantispa japonica and the 15-20 mm body-length Eumantispa harmandi , the former found throughout Japan and the latter from Honshu to Kyushu, and both species also found on the Korean Peninsula. Other species known in Japan include Climaciella magna and Climaciella quadrituberculata .

[Yamazaki Egane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱脈翅(みゃくし)目カマキリモドキ科の昆虫の総称。クサカゲロウなどに似ているが、頭部、胸部、前肢(ぜんし)のようすがカマキリに似ているのでこの名がある。はねは前縁部が黄褐色または黒褐色、縁紋(えんもん)部が暗色などのほか、おおむね透明で翅脈が目だつ。静止時は左右のはねを腹部上に屋根形に置く。春から夏にかけて樹木の葉裏や低木上におり、昆虫を捕食する。夜間、電灯にも飛来する。卵はクサカゲロウのように長い柄がある。孵化(ふか)した幼虫は細長く、肢(あし)が発達していて、コマチグモ類の卵嚢(らんのう)に侵入して子グモを吸食し、脱皮するとウジムシ形になる。成熟すると卵嚢内で繭をつくり蛹(さなぎ)になる。世界の温帯から熱帯域に分布し、代表的な種は、体長10ミリメートルのヒメカマキリモドキMantispa japonicaや体長15～20ミリメートルのキカマキリモドキEumantispa harmandiで、前者は日本全土、後者は本州から九州にかけて分布し、両種とも朝鮮半島にも分布する。日本にはほかに、オオカマキリモドキClimaciella magna、ツマグロカマキリモドキClimaciella quadrituberculataが知られている。

［山崎柄根］

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