Bug card No. 0595 of 1,500
Giant lacewing
Osmylus fulvicephalus
The giant lacewing is a large lacewing with four see-through wings covered in a fine net of veins and dark spots. Its head is orange-yellow. It likes shady places beside streams.
Lives in
Europe, in shady woods beside streams
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not sting and does not hurt people.
What does it eat?
It is a hunter. Its larvae live in damp moss by streams and catch other small insect larvae.
How fast is it?
Giant lacewing about 3 km/h (1.9 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its name fulvicephalus means tawny head, because of its orange-yellow head.
2
Its wings are folded over its back like a little roof when it rests.
3
Its larvae have long, pointed jaws for catching prey.
you asked
Most asked questions about Giant lacewing
?Is the giant lacewing dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people.
?Where does the giant lacewing live?
In shady woods next to streams in Europe.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Osmylus fulvicephalus
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Osmylidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Neuroptera > Osmylidae
- Lives on
- Europe
Where the facts come from
- Ithonidae (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Kesavamurthy N. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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