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Chrysoperla sp.
Yellow-green Lacewing with black lines in the wing venation. Approximately 1 cm long. The eyes glow in the light. Family Chrysopidae of the Neuroptera. The last picture is of a smaller individual of the same species, but so much more pale as to be almost invisible. It was found in the same place on May 3rd 2013. (Of the 4 tiny flies in the last picture, 3 are Moth Flies and the 4th......who knows?)
Came to an ultraviolet light in the garden, San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.
This specimen does not fit Chrysoperla carnea very well, it doesn't have the yellow dorsal band and the wing venation is outlined in black. According to Wikipedia "Chrysoperla carnea, the Green Lacewing, was originally considered to be a single species with a holarctic distribution, but it has now been shown to be a complex of many cryptic, sibling species. These are indistinguishable from each other morphologically but can be recognised by variations in the vibrational songs the insects use to communicate with each other, which they especially do during courtship."
Chrysoperla also won't have any brownish markings until winter. This compares to Chrysopa quadripunctata (which occurs in the US) or allied, though I'm not certain how far south true C. quadripunctata ranges.
Spotted on Mar 31, 2013
Submitted on Apr 2, 2013
