Lacewing eggs are supported on long, silken stalks for protection against predators. Mungkan Kandju National Park, Queensland, Australia
Lacewing larvae are sometimes referred to as "aphid lions" as they are voracious aphid predators. This one consumes a milkweed aphid. Urbana, Illinois, USA
The larva of a green lacewing sucks the juices from a milkweed aphid. Urbana, Illinois, USA
Climaciella brunnea
Climaciella brunnea is a predatory mantisfly that mimics paper wasps in the genus Polistes. Urbana, Illinois, USA
Chrysopidae
Predator versus predator: an immature lacewing sucks the juices from a ladybird beetle larva. Austin, Texas, USA.
Myrmeleontidae - Antlion
The delicate, lacy-winged antlion adult bears little resemblance to its predatory immature form. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.
Adult antlions superficially resemble damselflies, but they are actually relatives of lacewings. Sierra Nevada mountains, California, USA
Duskywing - Coniopterygidae
Some of the smallest and least conspicuous North American lacewings are in the family Coniopterygidae, the duskywings. Austin, Texas, USA.
This mantisfly is a convincing mimic of Polistes paper wasps. McKinney Roughs Park, Texas, USA.
A mantisfly poses for the 2016 BugShot insect photography workshop near Austin, Texas.
Dicromantispa interrupta
Portrait of a mantisfly. These unusual insects are neither mantis nor fly, but a lineage of lacewings that specialize as parasites of spider eggs. Austin, Texas, USA.
Plega sp.
A Plega sp. brown mantidfly rests on a twig. Chiricahua mountains, Arizona, USA
Antlion pits in sandy soil. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
An antlion larva repairs its pit by launching sand over the edge. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
An antlion larva (Myrmeleontidae) removed from its sand pit. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
An antlion (not visible) hurls sand at an ant (Camponotus tortuganus) attempting to climb out of the trap. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Falling sand traps an ant attempting to escape from an antlion pit. The larval antlion at the bottom of the pit repeatedly hurls debris at any insect that attempts to escape. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
A larva of a Myrmeleon sp. antlion, uncomfortably pulled from its burrow. Orlando, Florida, USA
predationmyrmeleontidaeneuropteraant lion
