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Silver Lacewing - Stilbopteryx costalis

Family Myrmeleontidae

This page contains pictures and information about Silver Lacewings that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
 
Silver Lacewing - adult, body length 35mm 
 
Silver Lacewings are one of the most beautiful insects that we ever saw. They are large in size, with silvery-grey colour body. They are the very good flyer comparing with the other Lacewings species that we found. Their two pairs of large wings are equal in size. They may miss-recognized as dragonflies when flying. However, they fly in a lower speed and rest most of the time. They cannot turn quickly in the air as dragonfly.
 
wpe1A.jpg (26009 bytes)
Photo: Claire deLacey, Sydney
 
Steve Chamberlain from Sydney sent us this photo and advised that this photo was taken on July 2004 in Royal National Park (just south of Sydney).
 
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In Dec 2005, we saw at least two of them in Karawatha Forest, Brisbane. We did not saw them in any other places. They rest like a Owl-fly. But its short and clubbed antenna tell us that it is in this family. 
 
The larvae are huge and black, with round, spiny and flattened body. Their head is big with large jaws. They live in debris on ground.
 

Reference and Link:
1. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p324. 
2. Dragonflies and Lacewings - Australian Museum 2004
3. Stilbopteryx costalis - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
 
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Last updated: December 30, 2005.