Japanese Mantidfly vs Owlfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Japanese Mantidfly Owlfly
Scientific Name Mantispa japonica Libelloides coccajus
Order Neuroptera Neuroptera
Family Mantispidae Ascalaphidae
Size 18-25 mm wingspan 25-30 mm body, 50 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Meadows
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Japan, Korea, Eastern China Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Japanese Mantidfly

An East Asian mantidfly found in woodlands across Japan and Korea. Recognized by its amber-tinted wings and stout raptorial legs.

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Did You Know?

In Japan it is called 'kamakiri-modoki' meaning 'mantis look-alike' due to its praying mantis resemblance.

Owlfly

Dragonfly-like neuropterans with large eyes and clubbed antennae. Fast aerial predators that catch prey in flight. Often found in Mediterranean meadows at dusk.

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Did You Know?

Owlflies look like a hybrid between a dragonfly and a butterfly — they have large dragonfly-like eyes with striking clubbed antennae found nowhere else in the insect world.