Giant Lacewing vs Dustywing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Giant Lacewing	Dustywing
Scientific Name	Polystoechotes punctata	Coniopteryx tineiformis
Order	Neuroptera	Neuroptera
Family	Ithonidae	Coniopterygidae
Size	40-75 mm wingspan	3-5 mm
Habitat	Rivers & Streams	Orchards
Diet	Omnivores	Predators
Regions	North America	Europe, Asia
Conservation	Endangered	Least Concern

Giant Lacewing

Once widespread across North America, it vanished from the eastern US by the 1950s. A single specimen was rediscovered in Walmart parking lot in Arkansas in 2012 after 50 years.

💡

Did You Know?

This giant lacewing was thought extinct in eastern North America for 50 years — until a single specimen was collected at a Walmart parking lot in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2012.

Dustywing

A tiny moth-like lacewing covered in a white waxy powder that gives it a dusty appearance. It is an important predator of mites and scale insects on trees.

💡

Did You Know?

Dustywings are the smallest of all neuropterans and are often overlooked because they resemble tiny moths.