Spongillafly
Guides
Climacia areolaris
spongillafly
Climacia areolaris is a small spongillafly (Sisyridae) native to North America. Adults measure slightly over 3 mm from head to wingtips. The species is distinguished from congeners by wing pattern. It is active from March through December, with adults attracted to lights and feeding on pollen.
Sisyra
spongillafly, spongilla-fly
Sisyra is a genus of spongillaflies (Neuroptera: Sisyridae), a small family of aquatic insects. The genus comprises at least eight described species distributed across multiple continents, including Brazil, Panama, Australia, and Asia. Sisyra species have been documented in freshwater habitats, with larvae associated with freshwater sponges. The family holds a basal phylogenetic position within Neuroptera, and at least one species (S. nigra) exhibits an unusual achiasmatic sex chromosome segregation mechanism not observed in other neuropterans.
Sisyra nigra
Black Spongillafly, Black Spongefly
Sisyra nigra is a small lacewing in the family Sisyridae, commonly known as the Black Spongillafly. It is the most widely distributed of the three British Sisyridae species and occurs across the Holarctic region. The species has a unique life cycle with fully aquatic larvae that are specialized predators of freshwater sponges, while adults are terrestrial and dispersive. S. nigra is notable for its distinctive achiasmatic sex chromosome segregation mechanism during male meiosis, which differs from other Neuroptera and supports the basal phylogenetic position of Sisyridae within the order.
Sisyra vicaria
spongillafly
Sisyra vicaria is a species of spongillafly (family Sisyridae) found in North America. Spongillaflies are small, delicate neuropteran insects whose larvae are obligate associates of freshwater sponges (Porifera), feeding on the sponge tissue. The species was originally described by Francis Walker in 1853 as Hemerobius vicarius. As with other members of the genus Sisyra, the adults are typically nocturnal and attracted to light.