| Comment number: |
|
1 |
| By: |
|
Mervyn Mansell |
| Comment: |
|
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: |
|
2019-12-19 14:52:49 |
| Species name: |
|
FAMILY Mantispidae -- Unidentified Mantispidae |
| Species code: |
|
326160 |
|
