Lichen-carrying green lacewing
This lacewing is a pale green insect with almost see-through wings. Its babies are masters of disguise. They stick bits of lichen, moss and pollen on their backs, so they look like a tiny piece of old bark.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Without its lichen coat, the larva is white with black spots and covered in spines.
The larva uses its disguise both to hide from enemies and to sneak up on its food.
It takes about 47 to 80 days to grow from egg to adult, and longer when the weather is cold.
The larva has red jaws, from bright red to dark red.
Most asked questions about Lichen-carrying green lacewing
?What does the lichen-carrying green lacewing eat?
Its larvae eat aphids, mites and other small soft bugs. The adults also drink nectar.
?Why does the larva carry lichen?
The lichen works like a costume. It makes the larva look like a bit of bark, so enemies do not notice it.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Leucochrysa pavida
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Chrysopidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Neuroptera > Chrysopidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Leucochrysa pavida (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 Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this 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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