''Mallada basalis'' is a species of green lacewing in the family Chrysopidae, first described by Francis Walker in 1853. No subspecies are listed in the Catalog of Life. The species was detected on mainland New Zealand in the 2010s.

Description and ecology

''Mallada basalis'' has a length of 10–15 mm, and typically has a pale green colour. Its translucent, veined wings are

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

in natural sunlight. Specimens can be identified by a green

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer insect wing, wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonfly, dragonfli ...

present in the hind wings that is not present in Chrysopidae of a similar appearance.

Distribution and habitat

''Mallada basalis'' has been identified on the Eastern states of Australia, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

and

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

(including an outlier population on

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

). ''Mallada basalis'' has been seen living in both suburban and native flora environments. The first confirmed sighting of ''Mallada basalis'' in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

was on Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf in 2010 (though specimens had been discovered on Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands chain since the 1970s), and the first specimen in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

was identified in 2016. By 2020, ''Mallada basalis'' was present across the

and Northland Regions. As of 2020, it is unclear if this species self-introduced to New Zealand, or if it was introduced due to human activity. The impact of this species on New Zealand is currently unknown. No native Chrysopidae species have been previously described from mainland New Zealand; their presence may control agricultural pests such as aphids and

mealybug Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...

s, or pose a risk to native insect life. Many lacewing species were imported to New Zealand between the 1920s and 1970s, however none successfully established populations in the country.

References

Chrysopidae Insects described in 1853 Insects of Australia Insects of New Zealand Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist) {{Neuroptera-stub