Hemerobiidae

Drepanepteryx phalaenoides

The Taghafte ( Hemerobiidae ), also known as brown lacewings, make with about 40 species in Central Europe, the largest local family in the order of the Lacewing, worldwide there are over 500 species. They resemble the lacewings, but are usually smaller and have no green colored wings, but usually gray or brown.

Features

With approximately 30 millimeters span Drepanepteryx is phalaenoides the largest native species of Taghafte, clearly bulged even to the most posterior border, brown wings that give the animal the appearance of a withered leaf ( mimesis ), an impression that is reinforced by the fact that is hidden at risk of head between the wings.

All other representatives of Taghafte are small to medium in size with spans of 10 to 30 millimeters. Most species are brown, but often have clear wings without the eye-catching rear edge of the type described above, the front and rear wings have coupling structures by which they are connected to each other in flight. The hind wings are crippled in some genera or missing altogether. The head has small simple eyes, the antennae are long and string of pearls.

Way of life

The Taghafte live as larvae as well as adults predatory and feed mainly on aphids, so the larvae are also called Blattlauslöwen. Among gardeners they are therefore known as beneficial organisms, whereas otherwise they belong rather to the lesser-known groups of insects. Some species occur in high population densities.

The eggs are usually laid on leaves, bark, or other parts of plants near aphid colonies, unlike the eggs of lacewings, they have no or only a very short stalk.

Larval development

The larvae of Taghafte have very well-developed walking legs and eye-catching, curved mouthparts. Compared to lacewing larvae are less bristles and have no bumps on the sides of the body. A larva eats about 20 aphids per day. Overwintering occurs in most species as verpuppungsreife larva that has cocooned in her hiding place, such as a hollow plant stems, in a cocoon.

System

The Taghafte are related despite external resemblance to the lacewings did not dwell on this. Within the lacewings are their closest relatives are likely to find within a taxon from dust adhesion, adhesion fishing, Dilaridae and Berothidae.

The Central European species it belong to the following genera:

• Taghafte ( Hemerobiidae ) Drepanepteryx
• Megalomus
• Wesmaelius
• Hemerobius
• Micromus
• Psectra
• Sympherobius