Insects
Lacewings (Neuroptera)
Other Lacewings (several families)
Sighting 4377567

Porismus strigatus

1 Pied Lacewing at Majura, ACT

Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Porismus strigatus at Majura, ACT - 29 Mar 2021 06:09 PM
Request use of media

Identification history

Porismus strigatus 31 Mar 2021 MichaelMulvaney
Porismus strigatus 30 Mar 2021 jb2602

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

Approaching dusk, about 50 Pied Lacewings were observed fluttering about in the tree canopy. Many landed on the trunks of trees below and this is what happened. 1. Pointing up trunk with antennae waving, presumably sensing pheromones; 2. A partner comes in head to head; 3. A bit of a flutter and the female grabs one of the male's antennae with her upper elbow; 4. She drags him down the trunk 10-20 cm; 5. There is a stand-off where they remain in this grip for a long time (even up to an hour); 6. They eventually join abdomens, aligned parallel, with her still holding on to his antenna; 7. When uncoupled, she draws her abdomen up to her mouth and manipulates a gel scak.

4 comments

RogerF wrote:
   30 Mar 2021
I am gad to see that you have seen the remarkable mating aggregations of this lacewing that I reported in my Insect book (Page 41), and have seen more details including a mating reward also found in Tettogoniids. Great observations
jb2602 wrote:
   30 Mar 2021
What's the clear gel sack Roger?
RogerF wrote:
   30 Mar 2021
Its the spermatophore produced by the male and enclosing the sperm. I checked Google Scholar and there are a couple of references of female Neuroptera eating the spermatophore. I am familiar with the well documented situation in Tettigoniids where there are images available.

As an aside, one of my first scientific papers was on the spermatophore of Tetrix (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) published in 1963! Entomol. Mon. Mag. 99, 217-23. (=58 years of publishing!)
jb2602 wrote:
   22 Mar 2024
Originally I thought that the female would be larger than the male but I now think that the reverse is true.

Please Login or Register to comment.

Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size
  • Breeding behaviour Breeding behaviour

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
830,627 sightings of 22,871 species from 14,377 members
CCA 3.0 | privacy
NatureMapr is developed by at3am IT Pty Ltd and is proudly Australian made