Dicromantispa sayi


Dicromantispa sayi, or Say's mantidfly is a species of mantidfly in the family Mantispidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, and North America.

Identification

Head: Brown to black with pale yellow marks. Face has a longitudinal yellow stripe each side of center; middle dark area appearing as a dark stripe, sometimes incomplete. Pattern of yellow oblong spots on top of head; can be obscure. Eyes multi-colored.
Antenna: Brown except segment 1 yellowish, more so on underside.
Thorax: Neck long and slender, more cone-shaped at head. Cream-colored patch at base and end of neck; rest yellowish-brown to dark brown. Usually with a light or dark colored longitudinal stripe down center. Thorax side on female dark with cream, curved lines. Male sides mostly pale.
Wings: Wings clear with brown veins; no brown spots at wing tips. Base and outside edge of wings dark brown, with a faint yellowish streak. Stigma at end of costa also dark brown.
Legs: Front legs modified, similar to praying mantis; dark brown with light streaks. Usually folded up and not used, except for eating. Mid and hind legs pale yellow with brown streaks; females have joint to body brown; male coxae pale.
Abdomen: Yellowish-brown to dark brown with yellow marks. Female abdomen always darker, and may be entirely black; the yellow marks vary considerably. Abdomen side edges cream, almost entirely on male, more spotted on female.
Similar Species: Dicromantispa interrupta is a larger species with a dark patch near tip of wing.
Leptomantispa pulchella has side-by-side yellow stripes of even width running down sides of abdomen, whereas D. sayi has uneven width pattern down sides.
L. pulchella also has a bright, burnt orange stigma on wings, not brown as in D. sayi. Otherwise, these two are identical.
Size: 14 to 15 mm long.
Habitat: Forest edges and prairies where spiders are present.
Food: Adults feed on small flying insects. Larvae hunt for spider eggs, with major hosts including are wolf spiders, and the running crab spider Philodromus vulgaris.
Flight Time: Jul 15 to Sep 4th. Peaks end of July
Life Cycle: Females lay eggs on any substrate. Larvae hatch, wander, find and either penetrate egg sacs, or hitch a ride on adult female spiders ready to lay eggs. 1st instar over-winters. One generation per year.

Types

Lectotype Mantispa sayi male by Banks, 1897. Type Locality: Brazos Co. Texas. In the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
Lectotype Mantispa fuscicornis male by Banks, 1911. Type Locality: Kissimmee, Florida. In the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
Holotype Mantispa uhleri female by Banks, 1943. Type Locality: Pennsylvanica. In the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.