#hemerobiidae

Micromus posticus

A very small brown lacewing, found this one dead and dry on a university windowsill (there's this big windowed corridor that's an absolute deathtrap) so it's a bit beat up but nothing that makes it not identifiable.

Small lacewings aren't usually mounted spread like this since they can just be pointmounted but it wasn't a whole lot more time or effort and it makes looking at the wing venation more convenient. Also looks pretty. Certainly more fun to spread than microleps because at least they don't disintegrate into dust at the slightest blow

hell yeah!! the nasty biter!

Tasmanian Lacewing

Micromus tasmaniae

Small Brown Lacewings from the Hemerobiidae family, native to Australia, but widespread in New Zealand too (but it’s not clear if they got there by themselves or had help). Voracious predators of psyllids and whitefly when young, including the  shining spleenwort whitefly, Trialeurodes asplenii if this NZ factsheet is anything to go by. 

The variable part in the common name refers to the wing markings, which can differ widely, and led to the naming of many now invalid subspecies.