''Chrysopa perla'', the Pearly Green Lacewing, is an insect species belonging to the green lacewing family,

Chrysopidae Green lacewings are insects in the large family (biology), family Chrysopidae of the order (biology), order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and (differing between sources) 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group. Members of the Genus ...

(subfamily Chrysopinae).

Distribution

This widespread species is present in most of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Fauna europaea
and in temperate zones of Asia.

Habitat

These insects prefer cool and shady areas, mainly in deciduous woods, wet forests, woodland edges, hedge rows, scrubby grassland and shrubs.

Description

The adults reach of length, with a wingspan of .
J.K. Lindse

The basic coloration of the body is green. Wings are blue-green with black veins. They turn pale yellow during the winter. Several black markings are present on the head, the thorax and below the abdomen. The second antennal segment is black.Nature Spot
/ref> This species is rather similar to '' Chrysopa dorsalis'', showing an oval pale spot between the eyes, which is roundish in ''C. perla''.

Biology

Adults can be encountered from May through August. They are fearsome predators, primarily feeding on aphids, occasionally on flower nectar. The females usually lay eggs near aphid colonies. Larvae are predators, mainly feeding on

Aphididae The Aphididae are a very large insect family in the aphid superfamily ( Aphidoidea), of the order Hemiptera. These insects suck the sap from plant leaves. Several thousand species are placed in this family, many of which are considered plant/cr ...

Coccidae Coccidae, from Ancient Greek (''kókkos''), meaning "kernel" or "Kermes (insect), Kermes", are a family of scale insects belonging to the superfamily Scale insect, Coccoidea. They are commonly known as soft scales, wax scales or tortoise scales ...

species and caterpillars (''

Pieris brassicae ''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, ''Pieris rap ...

'', ''

Autographa gamma The silver Y (''Autographa gamma'') is a migratory moth of the family Noctuidae which is named for the silvery Y-shaped mark on each of its forewings. Description The silver Y is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan of 30 to 45 mm. The win ...

''). The adult insects hibernate in winter.

Gallery

File:Chrysopidae - Chrysopa perla-1.jpg, Dorsal view File:Chrysopidae - Chrysopa perla.JPG, Female. Side view File: Chrysopa.perla.wing.detail.jpg, Wing detail File:XN Chrysopa perla 00.jpg, Eating aphids File:Chrysopa perla.ogv, Video clip

References

External links

Uniprot
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q775974 Chrysopidae Insects described in 1758 Articles containing video clips Insects of Asia Neuroptera of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus