www.small-beings.org
www.small-beings.org
Die Gemeine Florfliege oder Grüne Florfliege (Chrysoperla carnea s. l.) ist ein Netzflügler der Familie der Florfliegen (Chrysopidae). Sie wurde 1999 in Deutschland zum Insekt des Jahres gewählt.
Die Gemeine Florfliege (Chrysoperla carnea) ist weltweit verbreitet und kommt in unterschiedlichen Lebensräumen vor. Ihre grüne Farbe dient als Tarnung, bei einigen Arten ändert sie sich vor der Überwinterung jedoch zu Braun. Die Imagines ernähren sich von Pollen, Nektar und Honigtau und überwintern in trockenem Laub oder geschützten Orten. Die Weibchen legen ihre Eier in der Nähe von Blattlauskolonien ab und die Larven (Blattlauslöwen) ernähren sich räuberisch von verschiedenen Insekten. Die Gemeine Florfliege wird in der Gattung Chrysoperla geführt, ihr taxonomischer Status ist jedoch noch nicht vollständig geklärt.
Chrysoperla carnea, one of the species of common green lacewing, is an insect in the Chrysopidae family. Although the adults feed on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew, the larvae are active predators and feed on aphids and other small insects. It has been used in the biological control of insect pests on crops. Chrysoperla carnea was originally considered to be a single species with a holarctic distribution but it has now been shown to be a complex of many cryptic, sibling subspecies. These are indistinguishable from each other morphologically but can be recognised by variations in the vibrational songs the insects use to communicate with each other, which they especially do during courtship.
The green lacewing is a European species that has oval eggs attached to plants by stalks. The larvae, resembling small alligators, actively search for prey and inject enzymes into the bodies of their victims to digest their internal organs. The larvae grow, spin cocoons, and eventually pupate. Adult green lacewings are pale green with long antennae and fold their wings above their abdomens. They are weak fliers attracted to lights at night. The green lacewing is an important predator of aphids and other insects, and their larvae can consume large numbers of prey. The species occurs naturally in the northern hemisphere and has been used for biological control in various agricultural settings.