: |
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18195 |
Province: |
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KwaZulu-Natal |
Country: |
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South Africa |
Locus: |
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3030BC |
Observer: |
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Small Christopher Peter |
Date of record: |
|
2021-11-22 |
Number of photos: |
|
1 |
Notes: |
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Apology for poor quality |
Last updated: |
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2022-04-06 16:12:45 |
Sp. code: |
|
326160 |
Species name: |
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FAMILY Mantispidae |
Common name: |
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Unidentified Mantispidae |
Family: |
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Mantispidae |
Record status: |
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ACCEPTED |
Collector's species id: |
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Mantis fly |
Institution: |
|
ADU-UCT |
Record URL: |
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https://vmus.adu.org.za/?vm=-18195 |
Links: |
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• Locus: Summary | Records • Species: Records | Distribution map |
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[/018195-1.jpg image not available]
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Comments by the Expert Panel on this record:
|
Comment number: |
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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: |
|
2022-04-06 16:12:45 |
Species name: |
|
FAMILY Mantispidae -- Unidentified Mantispidae |
Species code: |
|
326160 |
|