Chien C. Lee

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  • Patents don’t exist in nature, and no species has a monopoly on clever designs. Here, a mantidfly (Mantispidae) makes use of spiny raptorial front legs to catch prey, much like a praying mantis. Mantidflies are actually more closely related to lacewings and ant-lions, and like their relatives they have no chemical or otherwise painful defenses against predators. Because of this, many mantidflies mimic wasps and in this particular species it appears to specifically mimic an orange Night Wasp (Provespa anomala). Anyone who has ventured into the Bornean rainforest after dark knows that night wasps are to be avoided: they possess an extremely painful sting that can cause skin necrosis. Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Mantispid (family Mantispidae), also known as a ‘mantidfly’. Looking something like a praying mantis crossed with a lacewing, this tiny predator uses the same raptorial front legs to grab its prey and hold them fast while eating them alive. Contrary to their appearance, they are not closely related to mantids, implying that this effective hunting strategy has evolved on more than one occasion in the insect kingdom. Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Mantispid (family Mantispidae), also known as a ‘mantidfly’. Looking something like a praying mantis crossed with a lacewing, this tiny predator uses the same raptorial front legs to grab its prey and hold them fast while eating them alive. Contrary to their appearance, they are not closely related to mantids, implying that this effective hunting strategy has evolved on more than one occasion in the insect kingdom. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
    cld1907200.jpg