Comment number: |
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1 |
By: |
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Mervyn Mansell |
Comment: |
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Cannot be sure of genus or species. It is a fairly complex family whose taxonomy is poorly known. Mantispids have a unique biology in that the larvae are parasitic on spider's egg sacs where they feed on eggs and spiderlings. The eggs, laid in large batches, hatch into a triungulin larvae that seeks out a spider and is carried back to the nest. Once in the nest, the larva undergoes a hypermetamorphosis and cannot move elsewhere. Pupation takes place in a silken cocoon in the nest. Mantispids are fairly uncommon in the drier western parts of South Africa. |
Date: |
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2019-12-19 14:52:49 |
Species name: |
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FAMILY Mantispidae -- Unidentified Mantispidae |
Species code: |
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326160 |
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