Lacewing
| Lacewing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Chrysopidae | ||||||||||
| Schneider , 1851 |
The lacewing (Chrysopidae), also known as golden eyes , represent a family within the reticulated winged (Neuroptera). A total of about 2,000 species are known, 70 of them occur in Europe , about 35 also in Central Europe. The best-known Central European species is probably the common lacewing ( Chrysoperla carnea ), which was the insect of the year in Germany in 1999 . The family is named after the fabric-like structure ( pile ) of its wings.
features
The animals reach a wingspan of 6 to 35 millimeters in Central Europe, tropical species reach wingspan of over 65 millimeters. Their physique follows that of the netwings. Their independent characteristic is a broad costal field , in which all cross veins are unbifurcated. Most of the species found in Central Europe are green or brown in color and can be distinguished by the drawing on their heads. The compound eyes of some species have a metallic bronze color, which is why the species are also known as gold eyes. Both pairs of wings have the same shape and are usually transparent; However, there are also species that have a drawing or are spotted. The wings of most Central European species are slightly iridescent or have green veining. There are some genera, such as Chrysopa or Cunctochrysa , in which paired stink glands are formed on the prothorax .
The larvae either have an elongated body and weakly developed side humps on the thorax and abdomen or a squat build and long hook-shaped bristles on the sides of the body, on which various materials and also remains of prey are attached for camouflage.
Way of life
The adults are crepuscular and nocturnal. Most species feed exclusively on pollen, nectar and honeydew , but the species of the genus Chrysopa , like almost all larvae of the family, are predatory and prey on smaller insects and mites , especially aphids , which is why the larvae are also known as aphid lions . During their lifetime, both the larvae and the adults eat a large number of prey, which is why they are considered beneficial insects in agriculture and forestry and are also bred in large quantities for biological pest control . However, the number of animals eaten fluctuates considerably even under the same conditions, which is why different authors give widely differing values. The stated number of aphids eaten by larvae varies, for example, between 150 during their entire development and 100 per day. When there is a lack of food, larger animals such as ladybird larvae or their own conspecifics are attacked.
A reaction to ultrasound was observed in the adults of Chrysopa species . When they sense it, they attach their wings to their bodies and drop to the ground in order to escape bats , which locate their prey using ultrasound.
The adults can communicate with each other via vibrations of the abdomen. The abdomen touches the ground, usually a leaf.
development
The females lay 100 to 900 eggs, which sit on ice stalks up to ten millimeters long, individually in groups or bundles at night on plants near aphid colonies. Immediately after hatching, the larvae molt for the first time and only then climb down on the plants to look for food. They run around without a goal and swing their heads back and forth until the jaws touch a prey. This touch stimulus is the trigger for grabbing. The prey is lifted up immediately and a digestive secretion is injected through a channel within the maxilla , which an aphid can internally dissolve within 90 seconds. This allows the larva to suck out the prey ( extraintestinal digestion ). The larvae are fully grown after 8 to 22 days, depending on the environmental conditions. The Central European species overwinter in a double-walled cocoon as a prepupa, only the common lacewing overwinters as an imago .
Types (selection)
- Common lacewing ( Chrysoperla carnea ( Stephens , 1836))
- Mediterranean floret ( Chrysoperla mediterranea ( Hölzel , 1972))
- Red-headed lacewing ( Nothochrysa fulviceps ( Stephens , 1836))
- Hypochrysa elegans ( Burmeister , 1839)
- Italochrysa italica ( Rossi , 1790)
- Nineta guadarramensis ( Pictet , 1865)
- Nineta vittata ( Wesmael , 1841)
- Chrysopa walkeri McLachlan , 1893
- Cunctochrysa albolineata ( Killington , 1935)
- Peyerimhoffina gracilis ( Schneider , 1851)
- Chrysotropia ciliata ( Wesmael , 1841)
- Semachrysa jade Winterton & Guek & Brooks , 2012
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chrysopidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed November 16, 2007 .
literature
- Alfred Kaestner: Textbook of Special Zoology , Volume 1: Invertebrates, Part 3, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1973.
- Ekkehard Wachmann , Christoph Saure: Netzflügler, Mud and Camel Neck Flies , Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-89440-222-9
