Mantispidae (), commonly known as mantidflies, mantispids, mantid lacewings, mantisflies or mantis-flies, is a family of small to moderate-sized insects in the order Neuroptera. There are many genera with around 400 species worldwide, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Only five species of Mantispa occur in Europe.Aspöck, Ulrike & Aspöck, Horst (2010): Fauna Europaea – Mantispidae. Version of 2010-DEC-23. Retrieved 2011-JAN-03. They are named after their raptorial forelimbs similar to those of mantises, a case of convergent evolution.

Description and ecology

About long and with a wingspan of , some mantidflies such as Climaciella brunnea, Euclimacia nodosa are wasp mimics, but most are brownish with green, yellow and sometimes red hues. The vernacular and scientific names are derived from their mantis-like appearance, as their spiny "raptorial" front legs are modified to catch small insect prey and are very similar to the front legs of mantids (the only difference is that the pincers lack footpads and are not used for walking at all). The adults are predatory insects that are often nocturnal, and are sometimes attracted by porch lights or blacklights. They are usually green, brown, yellow, and sometimes pink, and have four membranous wings which may sometimes be patterned (especially in wasp mimicking species) but are usually clear. Adult mantidflies are predators of suitably sized insects, which they catch as mantids do. However, the underlying mechanisms for the prey capture behavior are different in mantidflies and mantids.Kral, K (2013). Vision in the mantispid: a sit-and-wait and stalking predatory insect. Physiological Entomology 38: 1-12. Mantidflies are active hunters, but as with other Neuroptera, they are cumbersome fliers.

Symphrasinae larvae are sedentary parasitoids on bee, wasp or scarab beetle larvae. Larvae of the Calomantispinae are predators of small arthropods, and in at least one species they are mobile. Mantispinae have the most specialized larval development among all mantidflies studied to date (the life history of the Drepanicinae remains unknown): their campodeiform larvae seek out female spiders or their egg sacs which they then enter; the scarabaeiform larvae then feed on the spider eggs, draining egg contents through a piercing/sucking tube formed by modified mandibles and maxillae, pupating in the egg sac.

First-instar mantispids use two strategies to locate spider eggs: larvae may burrow directly through the silk of egg sacs they find, or they may board and be carried by female spiders prior to sac production (phoresy), entering the sac as it is being constructed. Mantispids that board spiders usually adopt positions on or near the pedicel; some species may enter the spider's book lungs. Larvae maintain themselves aboard spiders by feeding on spider hemolymph. Transfers of larvae from spider to spider are possible during spider mating or cannibalism. All of the major groups of hunting spiders are attacked by spider-boarding mantispids; the egg sacs of web-building species are also entered by egg-sac penetrators.

Systematics Among the Neuroptera (which includes lacewings, antlions and owlflies), mantidflies are apparently most closely related to the Dilaridae (pleasing lacewings) and the thorny (Rhachiberothidae) and beaded lacewings (Berothidae). These and the prehistoric Mesithonidae - probably a paraphyletic assemblage rather than a natural group - form the superfamily Mantispoidea.

Many mantidflies are placed in one of the four subfamilies, of which the Symphrasinae are probably the most distinct and the Mantispinae are the most advanced. But a considerable number of taxa cannot be easily accommodated in this layout, and are therefore better treated as incertae sedis at present.

Some authors have suggested that the extinct two winged Dipteromantispidae known from Cretaceous fossils should be treated as a subfamily of Mantispidae.

Extant taxa based on Global Biodiversity Information FacilityGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility: Mantispidae (retrieved 27 October 2020) and extinct taxa based on Jepson, 2015 and subsequent literature.

Calomantispinae Calomantispa Banks, 1913 Nolima Navás, 1914

Drepanicinae †Acanthomantispa Lu et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) †Aragomantispa Pérez-de la Fuente and Peñalver 2019 Spanish amber, Early Cretaceous (Albian) †Dicranomantispa Lu et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian Ditaxis McLachlan, 1867 Drepanicus Blanchard, 1851 Gerstaeckerella Enderlein, 1910 †Liassochrysa Ansorge and Schlüter 1990 Green Series, Germany, Early Jurassic (Toarcian) †Promantispa Panfilov 1980 Karabastau Formation, Kazakshtan, Middle/Late Jurassic †Psilomantispa Lu et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Sinuijumantispa So & Won, 2022 Sinuiju Formation, North Korea, Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Theristria Gerstaecker, 1884

Mantispinae

Afromantispa Snyman & Ohl, 2012 Asperala Lambkin, 1986 Austroclimaciella Handschin, 1961 Austromantispa Esben-Petersen, 1917 Buyda Navás, 1926 Campanacella Handschin, 1961 Campion Navás, 1914 Cercomantispa Handschin, 1959 Climaciella Enderlein, 1910 Dicromantispa Hoffman, 2002 Entanoneura Enderlein, 1910 Euclimacia Enderlein, 1910 Eumantispa Okamoto, 1910 †Feroseta Poinar 2006 Dominican amber, Miocene Haematomantispa Hoffman, 2002 Leptomantispa Hoffman, 2002 Madantispa Fraser, 1952 Mantispa Illiger, 1798 Mimetispa Handschin, 1961 Nampista Navás, 1914 Necyla Navás, 1913 Nivella Navás, 1930 Orientispa Poivre, 1984 Paramantispa Williner & Kormilev, 1959 Paulianella Handschin, 1960 †Prosagittalata Nel 1988 Céreste, France, Rupelian Pseudoclimaciella Handschin, 1960 Rectinerva Handschin, 1959 Sagittalata Handschin, 1959 Spaminta Lambkin, 1986 Stenomantispa Stitz, 1913 Toolida Lambkin, 1986 Tuberonotha Handschin, 1961 †Vectispa Lambkin 1986 Bembridge Marls, United Kingdom, Eocene (Priabonian) Xaviera Lambkin, 1986 Xeromantispa Hoffman, 2002 Zeugomantispa Hoffman, 2002

Symphrasinae Auth: Navás, 1909 †Archaeosymphrasis Shi et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian Anchieta Navás, 1909 †Habrosymphrasis Shi et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Haplosymphrasites Lu et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Parasymphrasites Lu et al. 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian Plega Navás, 1927 - Americas †Symphrasites Wedmann & Makarkin, 2007 Messel Pit, Germany, Eocene Trichoscelia Westwood, 1852 - central and S. America

†Mesomantispinae Auth: Makarkin 1996

†Archaeodrepanicus Jepson et al. 2013 Yixian Formation, China, Early Cretaceous (Aptian) †Clavifemora Jepson et al. 2013 Daohugou, China, Middle/Late Jurassic †Karataumantispa Jepson 2015 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Middle/Late Jurassic †Mesomantispa Makarkin 1996 Zaza Formation, Russia, Aptian †Ovalofemora Jepson et al. 2018 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Middle/Late Jurassic †Sinomesomantispa Jepson et al. 2013 Yixian Formation, China, Aptian

Unassigned

Allomantispa Liu, Wu, Winterton & Ohl, 2014 Entatoneura Enderlein, 1910 Fera Whalley, 1983 Forciada Kozhanchikov, 1949 Longicollum - monotypic Longicollum benmaddoxi Jepson et al., 2018 Manega Navás, 1929 †Neromantispa - monotypic Neromantispa antiqua Hart et al., 2024 Promantispa Jarzembowski, 1980 Prosagittalata Nel, 1988

Fossil taxa may be of an altogether quite basal position, for example the Jurassic Liassochrysa (about 180 million years old) and Promantispa (about 155 million years old) have been assigned to either a basal position within the group or Drepanicinae, the most basal subfamily within the group. The Early Jurassic Prohemerobius dilaroides (the type species of the "Prohemerobiidae" assemblage) as well as the Late Permian Permantispa emelyanovi (of the just as likely paraphyletic "Permithonidae") were suggested to possibly represent ancestral mantidflies. However, later studies found them to be basal members of Psychopsoidea and Neuroptera respectively.

Most living genera from which fossil species are also known to go back to the Miocene; the Oligocene "Climaciella" henrotayi probably does not belong in the living genus. Two fossil species have been described as part of the extant genus Dicromantispa, Dicromantispa moronei from Dominican amber and Dicromantispa electromexicana from Mexican amber.

The North American species include:

Paraberotha, Retinoberotha and Whalfera were formerly placed here, but have since been recognized as Rhachiberothidae. Mantispidiptera are diminutive insects, apparently neuropterans of some sort, perhaps Hemerobiiformia; their exact affiliation cannot at present be determined because of their odd apomorphies, though they are unlikely to have been mantidflies.

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