Hemerobiidae
Encyclopedia
Hemerobiidae is a family of Neuroptera
n insects commonly known as brown lacewings. These insects differ from the somewhat similar Chrysopidae
(green lacewings) not only by the usual colouring but by the wing venation: hemerobiids having numerous long veins lacking in chrysopids. Some of the costa
l cross veins are forked, unlike in green lacewings. Imagines
of subfamily Drepanepteryginae mimic dead leaves. Hemerobiid larvae are usually less hairy than chrysopid larvae.
Hemerobiids, like chrysopids, are predatory, especially on aphid
s, both as larva
e and adults. The species
Micromus tasmaniae is bred for biological pest control
.
The superfamily
Hemerobioidea is nowadays restricted to the Hemerobiidae. Formerly, the pleasing lacewings (Dilaridae
), silky lacewings (Psychopsidae
), giant lacewings (Polystoechotidae
) and as noted above the green lacewings (Chrysopidae
) were placed therein too. Of these, only the first seem to be reasonably close relatives of the brown lacewings. The silky lacewings in fact seem to belong to an altogether different suborder of Neuroptera, the Myrmeleontiformia.
The subfamilies of Hemerobiidae are:
Apart from the genera assigned to subfamilies, the genus Notherobius is of uncertain or fairly basal position.
Hemerobiidae have been described, some from the still-living genera, others from genera that are entirely extinct today. While most have been found in Eocene
to Miocene
rocks or amber
, Promegalomus is known from the Jurassic
. It was formerly considered to constitute a distinct family Promegalomidae, but is nowadays recognized as a very basal member of the Hemerobiidae. The Cretaceous
Mesohemerobius was formerly considered a brown lacewing, but is today rather placed as incertae sedis
in the Neuroptera; it might be a member of the Hemerobioidea but not even that is certain. Notable fossil Hemerobiidae genera are:
The extinct genus Hemerobites was originally described in 1813 from a specimen preserved in Baltic amber as a hemerobiid. However further study has resulted in its synonymy with the genus Eutermes and placement in the termite subfamily Termitina.
Some additional brown lacewing larvae have been found as fossils, but it has been impossible to determine their generic or subfamilial association.
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
n insects commonly known as brown lacewings. These insects differ from the somewhat similar Chrysopidae
Chrysopidae
Green lacewings are insects in the large family Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group...
(green lacewings) not only by the usual colouring but by the wing venation: hemerobiids having numerous long veins lacking in chrysopids. Some of the costa
Costa
Costa may refer to:* Costa , including origin of the name and people sharing the surname* Costa, scientific term, from Latin costa "rib" ** In botany, the central strand of a bryophyte leaf or thallus...
l cross veins are forked, unlike in green lacewings. Imagines
Imago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
of subfamily Drepanepteryginae mimic dead leaves. Hemerobiid larvae are usually less hairy than chrysopid larvae.
Hemerobiids, like chrysopids, are predatory, especially on aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s, both as larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e and adults. The species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
Micromus tasmaniae is bred for biological pest control
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
.
Systematics
Despite their superficial similarity to chrysopids, the brown and green lacewings are not as closely related as was at one time believed. Rather, the Hemerobiidae are closely related to the dustywings and spongillaflies, as well as to the large superfamily Mantispoidea.The superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Hemerobioidea is nowadays restricted to the Hemerobiidae. Formerly, the pleasing lacewings (Dilaridae
Dilaridae
The pleasing lacewings, Dilaridae, are a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera.They were formerly placed in the superfamily Hemerobioidea...
), silky lacewings (Psychopsidae
Psychopsidae
The Psychopsidae are a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. They are commonly called silky lacewings.The silky lacewings are distinguishable in their adult stage by their attractively patterned and pubescent wings known as vena triplica.They were formerly placed in the superfamily...
), giant lacewings (Polystoechotidae
Polystoechotidae
The Polystoechotidae or giant lacewings are a small family of winged insects of the insect order Neuroptera. This family contains three living and seven extinct genera. The modern giant lacewings have a notably disjunct distribution while the extinct genera had a more global range. The family is...
) and as noted above the green lacewings (Chrysopidae
Chrysopidae
Green lacewings are insects in the large family Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group...
) were placed therein too. Of these, only the first seem to be reasonably close relatives of the brown lacewings. The silky lacewings in fact seem to belong to an altogether different suborder of Neuroptera, the Myrmeleontiformia.
The subfamilies of Hemerobiidae are:
Apart from the genera assigned to subfamilies, the genus Notherobius is of uncertain or fairly basal position.
Fossils
Numerous fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
Hemerobiidae have been described, some from the still-living genera, others from genera that are entirely extinct today. While most have been found in Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
to Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
rocks or amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
, Promegalomus is known from the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
. It was formerly considered to constitute a distinct family Promegalomidae, but is nowadays recognized as a very basal member of the Hemerobiidae. The Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Mesohemerobius was formerly considered a brown lacewing, but is today rather placed as incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
in the Neuroptera; it might be a member of the Hemerobioidea but not even that is certain. Notable fossil Hemerobiidae genera are:
- Bothromicromus Scudder, 1878 (Eocene/Oligocene; Quesnel, British ColumbiaQuesnel, British Columbia-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
) - Brasilopsychopsis (Cretaceous, Crato FormationCrato FormationThe Crato Formation is a geologic formation of Early Cretaceous age in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. It is an important Lagerstätte for palaeontologists. The strata were laid down mostly during the early Albian age, about 108 million years ago, in a shallow inland sea...
Brazil) - Cratopsychopsis (Cretaceous, Crato Formation Brazil)
- Cretomerobius Ponomarenko, 1992 (Cretaceous to Ecoene; Bon-Tsagan, Mongolia; Klondike Mountain FormationKlondike Mountain FormationThe Klondike Mountain Formation is an early Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in the southern most of a string of highland subtropical/Temperate lakes in Washington state and British Columbia. The formation is best known for exceptionally well preserved plant and insect fossils...
, Washington) - Mucropalpus Pictet, 1856 (Eocene; BalticBaltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
amberAmberAmber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
) - Prochlanius Kruger, 1923 (Eocene; Baltic amber)
- Promegalomus Panfilov, 1980 (Jurassic; Chimkent Oblast, KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
) - Prophlebonema Kruger, 1923 (Eocene; Baltic amber)
- Prospadobius Kruger, 1923 (Eocene; Baltic amber)
The extinct genus Hemerobites was originally described in 1813 from a specimen preserved in Baltic amber as a hemerobiid. However further study has resulted in its synonymy with the genus Eutermes and placement in the termite subfamily Termitina.
Some additional brown lacewing larvae have been found as fossils, but it has been impossible to determine their generic or subfamilial association.
External links
- BioLib Taxonomic tree of Hemerobiidae (incomplete)
- Brown lacewings of Florida on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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