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]

Chrysoperla
Adult Chrysoperla sp. photographed in France
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Neuroptera
Family: Chrysopidae
Subfamily: Chrysopinae
Tribe: Chrysopini
Genus: Chrysoperla
Steinmann, 1964
Diversity
Over 60 species

Taxonomy and phylogeny

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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

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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

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

Species

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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

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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
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References

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  1. ^ Villenave-Chasset, Johanna; Thierry, Dominique; Al Mamun, Abdullah; Lodé, Thierry; Rat-Morris, Elizabeth (2005). "The pollens consumed by common green lacewings Chrysoperla spp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in cabbage crop environment in western France". 2005European Journal of Entomology. 102 (3): 547–552. doi:10.14411/eje.2005.078.
  2. ^ a b c d Brooks, S.J. (1994). "A taxonomic review of the common green lacewing genus Chrysoperla (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology. 63 (2): 137–210. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  3. ^ New, T. R. (2002). "Prospects for extending the use of Australian lacewings in biological control" (PDF). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 48 (2): 209–216.
  4. ^ Engel, Michael S.; Grimaldi, David A. (2007). "The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera)". American Museum Novitates (3587): 1–58. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3587[1:TNFODA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 49393365. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  5. ^ a b Shakir, Hafiz Usman; Anjum, Najuf Awais; Ali, Qurban; Saleem, Shahzad; Awais, Muhammad; Anwar, Tauqir (2015). "Molecular systematics of Chrysoperla carnea group (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in Punjab, Pakistan". 2015Journal of Global Innovations in Agricultural and Social Sciences. 3 (1): 12–15. doi:10.17957/JGIASS/3.1.677. S2CID 88722322. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  6. ^ a b c d Brooks, S.J.; Barnard, P.C. (1990). "The green lacewings of the world: a generic review (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology. 59 (2): 117–286. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  7. ^ Henry, Charles S.; Brooks, Stephen J.; Johnson, James B.; Duelli, Peter (1999). "Revised concept of Chrysoperla mediterranea (Hölzel), a green lacewing associated with conifers: courtship songs across 2800 kilometres of Europe (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)". Systematic Entomology. 24 (4): 335–350. Bibcode:1999SysEn..24..335H. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.1999.00085.x. S2CID 84665891.
  8. ^ Henry, Charles S.; Taylor, Katherine L.; Johnson, J.B. (2019). "A new lacewing species of the Chrysoperla carnea species-group from central Asia associated with conifers (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)". Journal of Natural History. 53 (21–22): 1277–1300. Bibcode:2019JNatH..53.1277H. doi:10.1080/00222933.2019.1644385. S2CID 202006791.
  9. ^ Canard, Michel; Thierry, Dominique (2020). "Description of a new species of Chrysoperla Steinmann, 1964 of the Ch. mediterranea Hölzel, 1972 group from Europe (Neuropterida, Neuroptera, Chrysopidae)". Linzer biologische Beiträge. 52 (1): 141–149. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5275235.
  10. ^ Oswald, John D. (Jul 2018). "Chrysoperla advanced search results in Neuropterida Species of the World". Lacewing Digital Library. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
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