Mantidfly, a species of its own
There are about 400 different species of mantidflies worldwide.
BIO – Warren Dick is a keen Bluff photographer who enjoys capturing parts of nature that are not often seen – especially the minute insects that make their home within local nature reserves.
By Warren Dick
IS it a fly, or is it a prey mantis?
It is neither, this is a species of its own called a mantidfly.
As adults they catch and eat other smaller insects and as nymphs or babies, they feed on the larvae of bees, wasps of even spiders eggs, depending on the species.
There are some 400 different species of mantidflies worldwide, most of which occur in tropic and subtropic climate. This one that I found in my garden on the Bluff is really tiny, and is comparable to the size of a coin.
This is only the third such, amazingly weird little creature I have seen in my garden.
DID YOU KNOW?
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