Chrysoperla carnea (Chrysopidae, Neuroptera)

Chrysoperla carnea, known as the common green lacewing, is an insect in the Chrysopidae family. It is found in many parts of North America, Europe and Asia. The adults feed on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew but the larvae are active predators and feed on aphids and other small insects. It has been used in the biological control of insectpests on crops. Chrysoperla carnea 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 morphologicallybut can be recognised by variations in the vibrational songs the insects use to communicate with each other, which they especially do during courtship. The green lacewing eggs are oval and secured to the plant by long slender stalks. They are pale green when first laid but become gray later. The larvae are about one millimetre long when they first hatch. They are brown and resemble small alligators, crawling actively around in search of prey. They have a pair of pincer-like mandibles on their head with which they grasp their prey, sometimes lifting the victim off the leaf surface to prevent its escape.