Golden-Eyed Lacewing & Brown Lacewing

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Chrysopidae

Genus: Mallada

Mallada traviatus

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Hemerobiidae

Genus: Micromus

On a particular non-windy summer night, out of the many insects that got attracted to my kitchen light, these Lacewings were the most interesting. The beautiful Golden Eyed Lacewing is from the family of green lacewings called Chrysopidae. Of the Australian species Mallada traviatus is the commonest. It is bright green in colour with golden eyes and long filiform antennae. It seemed like a strong flier even with the delicate wings. The wings are green with a beautiful blue sheen to them. 

The green lacewing's rather unremarkable looking brown cousin is much smaller in size. The above picture of the Brown Lacewing is a macro image. The magnified mesh squares can be a good guide to elicit the difference in sizes. The Brown Lacewing belongs to the family Hemerobiidae. Hemerobiids have longer more branching venation whereas the Chrysopids have shorter network. Chrysopids have auditory organs at the base of the radial vein. The Hemerobiids have microtrichia, microscopic hairs on the body. 

The larvae of both families of Lacewings are voracious feeders of aphids and other agricultural pests, hence sold for biological pest control.

References: Lacewing, 

University of Florida: Brown Lacewing, Green Lacewing