Chrysopidae (predators)
Author(s): Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez
Source: Wikimedia Commons
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Florfliegen |
| • English: | green lacewings |
| • Español: | crisópidos |
Chrysopidae (predators) - (green lacewings)
This family of predatory insects contains more than 1,000 species, including many important biological control agents which prey on insect pests. The adults usually have bright green bodies, long multisegmented antennae, a complex wing venation and eyes with a metallic lustre. They are sometimes also called "golden eyes".
During oviposition, the female constructs stalks out of a quickly hardening secrete, each with an egg at the top, raised above the leaf surface. The larvae have large mandibles and like the adults prey on a variety of leaf feeding insects like aphids, leafhoppers, thrips or whiteflies. During its development a larva might consume for example 300-400 aphids.
The following genera are currently entered under this family:
