Chrysoperla

Chrysoperla is a genus of common green lacewings in the neuropteran family Chrysopidae.^[1] Therein they belong to the Chrysopini, the largest tribe of subfamily Chrysopinae.^[2] Their larvae are predatory and feed on aphids, and members of this genus have been used in biological pest control.^{[3] [4]}

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The genus Chrysoperla was first described by H. Steinmann in 1964 as a subgenus of Chrysopa as Chrysopa (Chrysoperla). His original diagnosis based on facial markings was found to be unreliable by B. Tjeder in 1966, who revised Steinmann's subgeneric classification based on details of male genitalia. In 1970, H. Hölzel revised these subgenera further and moved Chrysoperla to a subgenus of Atlantochrysa as Atlantochrysa (Chrysoperla). It wasn't until 1977 that Chrysoperla was elevated to a full genus by Y. Séméria, based on the combination of the absence of a gonapsis in males, lack of carrying a debris packet in larvae, and overwintering as an adult.^[2] This series of revisions further caused species to be moved between genera several times as the taxa, particularly Chrysopa and Chrysoperla, were being redefined.^[5] The monophyly of the genus was verified in the revision of Chrysopidae genera by Brooks and Barnard in 1990.^[6][2]

Larva of a Chrysoperla species from Italy

Description and identification

Chrysoperla is one of several green lacewing genera with adults having a pale, yellowish stripe down the middle of the body. It is typically separated from other such genera by the short intramedian cell (im), which doesn't overlap the first crossvein from the radial sector. This genus, however, is defined predominantly based on male genitalia. Chrysoperla is one of six genera possessing an arcuate tignum and three genera to lack a gonapsis. It is distinguished from all other green lacewing genera by the presence of spinellae on the gonosaccus in the male genitalia.^[6]

Chrysoperla species may be identical in terms of morphology, but can be readily separated based on the vibration signals used to attract mates.^[6] For example, the southern European C. mediterranea looks almost identical to its northern relative C. carnea, but their courtship "songs" are very different; individuals of one species will not react to the other's vibrations.^[7]

Distribution

This genus has a cosmopolitan distribution.^[6][2] Species in this genus are particularly common in both Europe and North America.^[5]

Species

There are 67 described species of Chrysoperla. New species of the genus are still being described, particularly since the genus contains at least one cryptic species complex.

Provisional taxa

There are at least 8 additional "song species" that have been identified within the Chrysoperla carnea group but have yet to be formally described.^[10]

• Chrysoperla carnea-kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan
• Chrysoperla downesi-1 - eastern United States
• Chrysoperla downesi-china - China
• Chrysoperla downesi-kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan
• Chrysoperla downesi-western - western United States
• Chrysoperla nipponensis-a2 - Asia
• Chrysoperla nipponensis-b - Asia

Gallery

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  Chrysoperla from Oxford, England

• Chrysoperla larva feeding on aphid in Italy

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  Chrysoperla from France

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  Chrysoperla from France

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  Chrysoperla from Brión, Galicia, Spain

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  Chrysoperla from Russia

References