Chrysopa perla

Chrysopa perla
Near Havelsee, Germany
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Neuroptera
Family:	Chrysopidae
Genus:	Chrysopa
Species:	C. perla
Binomial name
Chrysopa perla (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms [1]
List Aeolops perla(Linnaeus, 1758) Aeolops viridis(Retzius, 1783) Chrysopa cancellata(Schrank, 1802) Chrysopa chrysops(Linnaeus, 1758) Chrysopa divisaNavás, 1910 Chrysopa elongataLacroix, 1916 Chrysopa fallaxNavás, 1914 Chrysopa nigrodorsalisPongrácz, 1912 Chrysopa nothochrysiformisLacroix, 1915 Chrysopa reticulataCurtis, 1834 Cintameva nothochrysodesNavás, 1936 Cintameva perla(Linnaeus, 1758)Emerobius chrysops(Linnaeus, 1758) Hemerobius cancellatusSchrank, 1802 Hemerobius chrysopsLinnaeus, 1758 Hemerobius perlaLinnaeus, 1758Hemerobius reticulatus(Leach in Brewster, 1815) Hemerobius viridisRetzius, 1783 Osmylus chrysops(Linnaeus, 1758)

Chrysopa perla, the Pearly Green Lacewing, ^[2] is an insect species belonging to the green lacewing family, Chrysopidae (subfamily Chrysopinae).

Distribution

This widespread species is present in most of Europe ^[3] and in temperate zones of Asia. ^{[4] [5]}

Habitat

These insects prefer cool and shady areas, mainly in deciduous woods, wet forests, woodland edges, hedge rows, scrubby grassland and shrubs. ^{[6] [4]}

Description

The adults reach 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in) of length, with a wingspan of 25–30 millimetres (0.98–1.18 in). ^{[5] [6]} The basic coloration of the body is green. Wings are blue-green with black veins. They turn pale yellow during the winter. Several black markings are present on the head, the thorax and below the abdomen. ^[5] The second antennal segment is black. ^[4] This species is rather similar to Chrysopa dorsalis , showing an oval pale spot between the eyes, which is roundish in C. perla. ^[4]

Biology

Adults can be encountered from May through August. ^[6] They are fearsome predators, primarily feeding on aphids, ^[5] occasionally on flower nectar. ^[4]

The females usually lay eggs near aphid colonies. ^[5] Larvae are predators, mainly feeding on Aphididae, Coccidae species and caterpillars ( Pieris brassicae , Autographa gamma ). ^[6] The adult insects hibernate in winter. ^[5]

Gallery

• 
  Dorsal view
• 
  Female. Side view
• 
  Wing detail
• 
  Eating aphids
• Video clip

References

1. Catalogue of the world
2. "Pearly Green Lacewing". Landscape Britain. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
3. Fauna europaea
4. Nature Spot
5. Insektenbox (in German)
6. J.K. Lindsey Commanster Archived 2018-10-09 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

• Chrysopa perla p. 417 in Hagen, K.S; Mills, N.J; Gordh, G; McMurtry, J.A (1999). "Terrestrial Arthropod Predators of Insect and Mite Pests". In Bellows, Thomas S.; Fisher, T.W. (eds.). Handbook of Biological Control . pp.  383–503. doi:10.1016/B978-012257305-7/50063-1. ISBN   978-0-12-257305-7.
• Plant, Colin W. (1994). Provisional atlas of the lacewings and allied insects (Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera and Mecoptera) of Britain and Ireland. ISBN   978-1-870393-18-8.
• Flint, H. M; Salter, S. S; Walters, S (1979). "Caryophyllene: An Attractant for the Green Lacewing". Environmental Entomology. 8 (6): 1123–1125. doi:10.1093/ee/8.6.1123.
• James, David G (2003). "Field Evaluation of Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles as Attractants for Beneficial Insects: Methyl Salicylate and the Green Lacewing, Chrysopa nigricornis". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 29 (7): 1601–1609. doi:10.1023/A:1024270713493. PMID   12921438.
• Bond, Alan B (1980). "Optimal foraging in a uniform habitat: The search mechanism of the green lacewing" . Animal Behaviour. 28: 10–19. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(80)80003-0.
• Romeis, Jörg; Dutton, Anna; Bigler, Franz (2004). "Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Cry1Ab) has no direct effect on larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)". Journal of Insect Physiology. 50 (2–3): 175–183. doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2003.11.004. PMID   15019519.
• Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal!. Dorling Kindersley. 2016-10-03. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-241-28964-8.

External links

• Uniprot
• Media related to Chrysopa perla at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Chrysopa perla at Wikispecies