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Plega sp.
I found 2 female individuals of this Bark Mantispid in the same week! It is such an amazing little insect. She is 2 cm in length, with wings. Raptorial front legs have developed independently in several different orders, including Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera,Thysanoptera (Thrips) and in this case, the Neuroptera. Mantispids are basically Lace Wings with raptorial forelegs. This one seems to be more nocturnal, as I found them both active at night. It is also cryptically colored for camouflage on bark. The ovipositor is long and is usually held pointed upwards and curving forward. It is visible in all the pictures. They use their raptorial legs for climbing about, as well as for catching prey. They are very tame and gentle to hold. Family Mantispidae, Subfamily Symphrasinae.
Near lights, semi-rural residential area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, 2,200 meters.
Several species within the subfamily Symphrasinae have been reared from the nests of bees and wasps or in the laboratory on larvae or pupae of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. First instars are active and find their hosts by attaching to an adult bee or wasp and moving into a cell when the egg is laid. Subsequently, they feed on a single host to which they adhere via a sticky, yellow secretion; they thus have the typical mantispid hypermetamorphosis (with several distinct larval types). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantispida... https://www.naturalista.mx/taxa/636099-S... For a fly with raptorial forelegs see: https://bugguide.net/node/view/176859/bg... and for a wasp see: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1009217/b.... For species of Plega see: https://bugguide.net/node/view/831703 http://madrean.org/symbfauna/taxa/index.... https://www.alexanderwild.com/Insects/In... https://bugguide.net/node/view/885447 https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20p?see=... https://bugguide.net/node/view/831687
14 Comments
Hi Lauren,
This is a very beautiful photo, and also an interesting species. I'm a PhD student at University of Mexico (UNAM). I'm revising this subfamily as doctoral project, did you collect the specimen? do you have more specimens? my e-mail es aardilac88@gmail.com for any doubt, question or information.
Best regards,
Thank you Mark, she really is a curious little thing.
What a wonderful little creature. We have bark mantis and mantispede but this looks a perfect combination of the two.
Thanks Leuba :)
Great photos Lauren and thanks for the notes.
Thank you Daniele and Maria. She and I both love being nominated!
Excellent photos and interesting creature!
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated Lauren!
Thank you Bernadette :)
Amazing pics!
Thank you triggsturner :)
Stunning little bug! Great photos and notes Lauren.
Thank you Felix! It's such an exquisite little creature!
That's a fantastic find and pics! Awesome.