Chrysopa perla

Chrysopa perla, the Pearly Green Lacewing, is an insect species belonging to the green lacewing family, Chrysopidae (subfamily Chrysopinae).

Chrysopa perla
Near Havelsee, Germany
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Neuroptera
Family:	Chrysopidae
Genus:	Chrysopa
Species:	C. perla
Binomial name
Chrysopa perla (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
List Aeolops perla (Linnaeus, 1758) Aeolops viridis (Retzius, 1783) Chrysopa cancellata (Schrank, 1802) Chrysopa chrysops (Linnaeus, 1758) Chrysopa divisa Navás, 1910 Chrysopa elongata Lacroix, 1916 Chrysopa fallax Navás, 1914 Chrysopa nigrodorsalis Pongrácz, 1912 Chrysopa nothochrysiformis Lacroix, 1915 Chrysopa reticulata Curtis, 1834 Cintameva nothochrysodes Navás, 1936 Cintameva perla (Linnaeus, 1758) Emerobius chrysops (Linnaeus, 1758) Hemerobius cancellatus Schrank, 1802 Hemerobius chrysops Linnaeus, 1758 Hemerobius perla Linnaeus, 1758 Hemerobius reticulatus (Leach in Brewster, 1815) Hemerobius viridis Retzius, 1783 Osmylus chrysops (Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution

This widespread species is present in most of Europe 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 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in) of length, with a wingspan of 25–30 millimetres (0.98–1.18 in). 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. 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, Coccidae species and caterpillars (Pieris brassicae, Autographa gamma). The adult insects hibernate in winter.

Gallery

• 
  Dorsal view
• 
  Female. Side view
• 
  Wing detail
• 
  Eating aphids
• Video clip

Further reading

• Chrysopa perla p. 417 in Hagen, K.S; Mills, N.J; Gordh, G; McMurtry, J.A (1999). "Terrestrial Arthropod Predators of Insect and Mite Pests". In Bellows, Thomas S.; Fisher, T.W. (eds.). Handbook of Biological Control. pp. 383–503. doi:10.1016/B978-012257305-7/50063-1. ISBN 978-0-12-257305-7.
• Plant, Colin W. (1994). Provisional atlas of the lacewings and allied insects (Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera and Mecoptera) of Britain and Ireland. ISBN 978-1-870393-18-8.
• Flint, H. M; Salter, S. S; Walters, S (1979). "Caryophyllene: An Attractant for the Green Lacewing". Environmental Entomology. 8 (6): 1123–1125. doi:10.1093/ee/8.6.1123.
• James, David G (2003). "Field Evaluation of Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles as Attractants for Beneficial Insects: Methyl Salicylate and the Green Lacewing, Chrysopa nigricornis". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 29 (7): 1601–1609. doi:10.1023/A:1024270713493. PMID 12921438.
• Bond, Alan B (1980). "Optimal foraging in a uniform habitat: The search mechanism of the green lacewing". Animal Behaviour. 28: 10–19. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(80)80003-0.
• Romeis, Jörg; Dutton, Anna; Bigler, Franz (2004). "Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Cry1Ab) has no direct effect on larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)". Journal of Insect Physiology. 50 (2–3): 175–183. doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2003.11.004. PMID 15019519.
• Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal!. Dorling Kindersley. 2016-10-03. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-241-28964-8.

External links

• Uniprot
• Media related to Chrysopa perla at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Chrysopa perla at Wikispecies