Hagenomyia tristis

View the above photo record (by Craig Peter) in LacewingMAP here.

Myrmeleontidae (Antlions)

Hagenomyia tristis

(Walker, 1853)

Identification

Size: Small to medium sized (Wingspan around 58mm)

Hagenomyia tristis is the mimic of Banyutus lethalis and the two bear a close resemblance. B. lethalis has longer antennae and clear wings with prominent black veining and a bicoloured pterostigma. H. tristis has shorter antennae, slightly irridescent wings with inconspicuous black veins and has smaller white pterostigmas.

Larvae: closely resemble those of Myrmeleon species.

*Hagenomyia tristis* – Duba Plains, Botswana
Photo by Ryan Tippett

*Hagenomyia tristis* – Lusaka Province, Zambia
Photo by Norman Barrett

Habitat

Hagenomyia tristis inhabits savanna woodland and forest regions. Adults are often found among tall grass in the dappled light beneath trees. Often in the same habitat as Banyutus lethalis.

Behaviour

The adults are nocturnal and spend the day resting among tall grass. They are frequently attracted to light. Hagenomyia tristis is gregarious and often flies in mixed swarms with Banyutus lethalis, which it closely resembles – in a mimicry complex.

*Hagenomyia tristis* is often gregarious – Highlands Wilderness, Limpopo
Photo by Christopher Willis

*Hagenomyia tristis* – Lusaka Province, Zambia
Photo by Esme Tenner

Adults are on the wing primarily during the Summer months from October to April but they may be recorded throughout the year in warmer areas.

The Larvae build pitfall traps and can often be found at the base of trees.

Status and Distribution

A common and widespread species throughout the tropics and subtropics of Africa, occurring from southern KZN and North West Province through Africa to Cameroon, Ethiopia and Madagascar. Hagenomyia tristis is absent from the drier areas of southern Africa.

Distribution of *Hagenomyia tristis*. Taken from the LacewingMAP database, November 2022.

Taxonomy:

Order: Neuroptera Family: Myrmeleontidae Subfamily: Myrmeleontinae Tribe: Myrmeleontini Genus: Hagenomyia Species: tristis

*Hagenomyia tristis* – Near Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett

Further Resources

Virtual Museum (LacewingMAP > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name)

Acknowledgements:

The use of photographs by Christopher Willis, Craig Peter, Esme Tenner, Norman Barrett and Wilna Steenkamp is acknowledged. This species text has benefited enormously from comments made by Mervyn Mansell on records he has identified in LacewingMAP. We acknowledge his important contribution.

Recommended citation format for this species text:

Tippett RM 2022. Hagenomyia tristis. Biodiversity and Development Institute, Cape Town.
Available online at http://thebdi.org/2022/12/13/hagenomyia-tristis/