Mantispidae is a family of small to moderate-sized net-winged insects, known as mantidflies, mantispids, mantid lacewings or mantis-flies. There are many genera with around 400 species worldwide, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Only 6 genera and 15 species in North America, and only 5 species of Mantispa occur in Europe.
They lay small, green, stalked eggs in clusters. The larvae of some mantidflies undergo hypermetamorphosis, being campodeiform in the first instar and scarabaeiform in later instars. Symphrasinae larvae may be scarabaeiform throughout; they are sedentary parasitoids on bee, wasp or scarab beetle larvae. Larvae of the Calomantispinae are predators of small arthropods, and in at least one species they are mobile. Mantispinae have the most specialized larval development among all mantidflies studied to date (the life history of the Drepanicinae remains unknown): their campodeiform larvae seek out female spiders or their egg sacs which they then enter; the scarabaeiform larvae then feed on the spider eggs, pupating in the egg sac.
Many mantidflies are placed in one of the 4 subfamilies. But a considerable number of taxa cannot be easily accommodated in this layout, and are therefore better treated as incertae sedis at present. Some fossil taxa may be of an altogether quite basal position, for example the Jurassic Liassochyrsa and Promantispa. Most living genera from which fossil species are also known go back to the Miocene; the Oligocene "Climaciella" henrotayi probably does not belong in the living genus. The distinct Mesomantispa is often placed in a monotypic subfamily Mesomantispinae, but given its uncertain position due to no clearly related mantidflies having been found yet in the fossil record, this may well be premature. Basal and incertae sedis mantidfly genera are: