Lacewings, Mantidflies, Antlions, and kin

Green lacewing (Chrysopidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

My first mantidfly! (Mantispidae: probably Leptomantis sp., from Iowa). These unique insects may resemble praying mantises, but belong to the order Neuroptera along with lacewings and their kin. Adults use their raptorial forelegs to catch a variety of small arthropod prey; their larvae, however, specialize on spider eggs.

Green lacewing (Chrysopidae) from Iowa.

Brown lacewing, Hemerobiidae, from Iowa.

Antlion (Myrmeleontidae, possibly Myrmeleon immaculatus).

Most likely four-spotted owlfly, Ululodes quadripunctatus. These funky predatory neuropterans look like a combination of a dragonfly and a butterfly, but are in fact a lineage derived from antlions. Also noteworthy are their eyes, which are split into 2 lenses. The ventral lens offers a wide field of vision, while the lower lens provides a high degree of spatial acuity.

One of the early visitors to my lights every spring, a Weeping Green Lacewing, Chrysoperla plorabunda.