#Leptomantispa
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nearbirdstudios.bsky.social
MANTIDFLIES MANTIDFLIES

I know for sure there were at least three, but I think there were more like 5-6 individuals! I think they're Leptomantispa pulchella 🌿
A brown mantidfly on a greige surface. It looks like the front of a mantis and the back of a lacewing, but its raptorial forelegs are held tucked behind the first leg segment, so they kind of look backwards relative to how we're used to seeing them on mantises.
July 15, 2026 at 7:01 AM
luxomancer.bsky.social
Beautiful Mantidfly friend ( Leptomantispa pulchella ) reminds you all to take a moment and stretch today 🥰 #SelfCare

#fujifilm X-S10, #Laowa 65mm #Macro

#MacroPhotography
#photography
#Nature
#NatureIsAmazing
#Invertebrates
#insects
A photo of a brown and tan mantidfly against a white background. The mantidfly is stretching its left mantid-like dark brown raptorial arm outwards, the end of which is spined. The other raptorial arm is tucked underneath its small triangular head which features large round metallic bronze eyes. IT's body is brown and tan, it's net-like wings extend back over it's curved abdomen
September 25, 2025 at 9:40 PM
cotinis.bsky.social
Insects from an event at Chapel Hill Public Library (North Carolina) on 26 July 2025: #nationalmothweek.
Luna Moth - Actias luna (from other side of the sheet!)
Treehopper - Glossonotus acuminatus
Bold-feathered Grass Moth - Herpetogramma pertextalis
Beautiful Mantidfly - Leptomantispa pulchella
Treehopper - Glossonotus acuminatus Luna Moth - Actias luna (from other side of the sheet!) Bold-feathered Grass Moth - Herpetogramma pertextalis Beautiful Mantidfly - Leptomantispa pulchella
July 28, 2025 at 12:42 AM
luxomancer.bsky.social
Oh I forgot to give the count. There were 4 of Dicromantispa, and one each Zeugomantispa, and Leptomantispa.
July 19, 2025 at 12:55 AM
luxomancer.bsky.social
This tiny little mantidfly friend (10mm long at the most) is the Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella.
A photo of the side of small brown mantidfly with tan stripes on a light blue background. The mantidfly's head and raptorial arms are dark brown, it's lower thorax and abdomen are brown with tan longitudinal tan stripes. A photo of the mantidfly's head and thorax. It's large round eyes are metallic bronze. Another photo of the mantidfly's forebody as it was stretching its raptorial arms, the spines on which are quite visible.
July 19, 2025 at 12:29 AM
luxomancer.bsky.social
The Mantidfly Union™ has informed me that they have noticed a lack of my cooperation recently so I should remedy that. 🫥

Beautiful #Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella, a tiny (15mm long) friend.

#fujifilm X-S10, #Laowa 65mm #Macro

#MacroPhotography
#photography
#Invertebrates
#insects
A photo of a brown and tan mantidfly from the side as it walks across a white sheet. The mantidfly has a small head that is mostly large round bronze metallic eyes with long slender antennae pointing forward. The bespined brown and tan mantid-like raptorial claws which gives these insects their common names, is tucked up underneath the head. The thorax has a long neck-like tubular structure that sweeps down to a tan striped box like structure that the other 2 sets of legs come from. Long transparent ovate net-like wings cover the brown and tan striped abdomen.
July 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM
luxomancer.bsky.social
Here are some additional photos of the Beautiful Mantidfly, Leptomantispa pulchella (and it's dinner...) I did get to see the beautiful Green Mantidfly, Zeugomantispa minuta, this year, but those photos sadly were bad 😭
A photo of the front of the Beautiful Mantidfly, Leptomantispa pulchella, and a small pale leafhopper which it was snacking on in the photo in the preceding post. The raptorial arms are held closely together under the head, the inner surface of the arms are tan, the outer edges a darker brown, the face is tan with brown edges above the mandibles and a line of brown down the middle, the large metallic bronze iridescent eyes have a star shaped reflection in them A photo of the side of the Beautiful Mantidfly, leptomantispa pulchella, as it rests on a light colored surface. It's raptorial arms, brown with tan markings are held closely under its small head. The slender tubular neck is brown and extends downwards to the roughly triangular shaped thorax which is brown with yellowish tan markings. The lacy transparent wings cover the brown and tan abdomen.
December 28, 2024 at 10:03 PM
luxomancer.bsky.social
For today's #BestOfLux2024 and #invertefest offering I present the joy that are #Mantidflies. These awesome #Insects were frequent visitors to the bug light this year. More details in the #AltText.

Taken with a #Fujifilm X-S10 and #Laowa 65mm #Macro.

#Macrophotography
#Neuroptera
#invert
A photo of the brown and tan Four-spotted Mantidfly, DIcromantispa interrupta, on a white background from above. This photo shows how slender the raptorial arms, head, and neck of the insect is, and how the lacy wings cover the abodmen which curves towards the bottom of the frame. A photo of the front of a brown and tan Four-spotted Mantidfly from the front showing the raptorial arms and head in greater detail. The raptorial arms are held tightly folded under the head which is dominated by the two large bronze metallic iridescent eyes. A photo of a Four-spotted Mantidfly, Dicromantispa interrupta, on a white background, from the side. The Mantid fly is shades of tan and brown. The raptorial claws, which are very mantid-like are dark brown and held tightly under the insect's triangular head which features large round metallic bronze iridescent eyes and slender antennae. The insect's neck is slender and tubular and leads to square shaped thorax from which the slender tan legs are attached. the insect's wings are long and lacy, covering the tan abdomen. This is a photo of neck, head, and raptorial arms of a brown, tan, and yellow Beautiful Mantidfly, Leptomantispa pulchella as it snacks on what I believe is a leafhoopper. The mantidfly's raptorial arms are brown with lighter tan areas, the eyes are an iridescent metallic bronze color, the slender antennae are dark brown
December 28, 2024 at 10:03 PM
luxomancer.bsky.social
Good morning, happy #Friday, The #Mantidfly of Happiness™ reminds you all to get a good #breakfast to start your day.

Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella

#Fujifilm X-S10, #Laowa 65mm #Macro

#MacroPhotography
#BestOfLux2024
#insects
#Inverts
A photo of the head and raptorial arms of a mantidfly as it eats a leafhopper. The mantidfly's eyes are large and a metalic bronze green color, the mantidfly's body and raptorial arms are brown with tan stripes
December 20, 2024 at 9:29 AM
jaspersailfin.bsky.social
Mantidflies sometimes show up at moth sheets and enjoy the insect smorgasbord. Top left is Beautiful Mantidfly (Leptomantispa pulchella) and bottom left is genus Plega.
#MantidflyAppreciationDay
December 12, 2024 at 8:31 PM
ajmongue.bsky.social
Another mantidfly mania post: Leptomantispa pulchella from below.
We're gearing up to sequence the #genome!
#insects #genomics
A male mantidfly viewed from below
October 4, 2024 at 9:31 PM
luxomancer.bsky.social
I was again visited again by the Beautiful #Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella, and we had a bit of a chat as it enjoyed some dinner...

#macrophotgraphy
#insect(s
#Inverts(

Extra bonus video (Still learning the #Macro video thing...)

youtu.be/WiCwdrKCaZU
The front of a tan and brown mantid fly withbright metallic bronze eyes and a small leaf hopper next to it. The side of the leaf hopper as it has a meal, possibly the leaf hopper from the first image. The front of the leaf hopper as it dismembers its meal.
June 13, 2024 at 12:51 AM
luxomancer.bsky.social
This is the Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella. The name is in my opinion very accurate 😻

#Macrophotography
#Neuroptera
#Mantidflies
#Insect(s
#Invert(s
A brown and tan insect with preying mantis like raptorial arms, bronze like eyes and a pair of lacy wings.
May 30, 2024 at 11:34 PM