A photo of the side of small brown mantidfly with tan stripes on a light blue background. The mantidfly's head and raptorial arms are dark brown, it's lower thorax and abdomen are brown with tan longitudinal tan stripes.

A photo of the mantidfly's head and thorax. It's large round eyes are metallic bronze.

Another photo of the mantidfly's forebody as it was stretching its raptorial arms, the spines on which are quite visible.

This tiny little mantidfly friend (10mm long at the most) is the Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella.

A photo of a brown and tan mantidfly from the side as it walks across a white sheet. The mantidfly has a small head that is mostly large round bronze metallic eyes with long slender antennae pointing forward. The bespined brown and tan mantid-like raptorial claws which gives these insects their common names, is tucked up underneath the head. The thorax has a long neck-like tubular structure that sweeps down to a tan striped box like structure that the other 2 sets of legs come from. Long transparent ovate net-like wings cover the brown and tan striped abdomen.

The Mantidfly Union™ has informed me that they have noticed a lack of my cooperation recently so I should remedy that. 🫥

Beautiful #Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella, a tiny (15mm long) friend.

#fujifilm X-S10, #Laowa 65mm #Macro

#MacroPhotography
#photography
#Invertebrates
#insects

A photo of the head and raptorial arms of a mantidfly as it eats a leafhopper. The mantidfly's eyes are large and a metalic bronze green color, the mantidfly's body and raptorial arms are brown with tan stripes

Good morning, happy #Friday, The #Mantidfly of Happiness™ reminds you all to get a good #breakfast to start your day.

Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella

#Fujifilm X-S10, #Laowa 65mm #Macro

#MacroPhotography
#BestOfLux2024
#insects
#Inverts

The front of a tan and brown mantid fly withbright metallic bronze eyes and a small leaf hopper next to it.

The side of the leaf hopper as it has a meal, possibly the leaf hopper from the first image.

The front of the leaf hopper as it dismembers its meal.

I was again visited again by the Beautiful #Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella, and we had a bit of a chat as it enjoyed some dinner...

#macrophotgraphy
#insect(s
#Inverts(

Extra bonus video (Still learning the #Macro video thing...)

youtu.be/WiCwdrKCaZU

A brown and tan insect with preying mantis like raptorial arms, bronze like eyes and a pair of lacy wings.

This is the Beautiful Mantidfly, #Leptomantispa pulchella. The name is in my opinion very accurate 😻

#Macrophotography
#Neuroptera
#Mantidflies
#Insect(s
#Invert(s