Mallada basalis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mallada basalis
Mallada basalis from New Zealand
Scientific classification
Genus:	Mallada
Species:	basalis
Synonyms
Anisochrysa paradoxa Nakahara, 1955 Mallada delmasinus Navás, 1935 Chrysopa delmasi Navás, 1927 Chrysopa delmasi var. densata Navás, 1927 Mallada stigmatus Navás, [1925] Chrysopa skottsbergi Esben-Petersen, [1924] Chrysopa tagalica Banks, [1914] Chrysopa formosana Esben-Petersen, 1913 Chrysopa latotalis Banks, 1910 Chrysopa olatatis Banks, 1910 Chrysopa jolyana Navás, 1910 Chrysopa microphya McLachlan, 1883 Chrysopa basalis Walker, 1853

Mallada basalis is a species of green lacewing in the family Chrysopidae, first described by Francis Walker in 1853. No subspecies are listed in the Catalog of Life. The species was detected on mainland New Zealand in the 2010s.

Description and ecology

Mallada basalis in Auckland (2020).

Mallada basalis has a length of 10–15 mm, and typically has a pale green colour. Its translucent, veined wings are iridescent in natural sunlight. Specimens can be identified by a green pterostigma present in the hind wings that is not present in Chrysopidae of a similar appearance.

Distribution and habitat

Mallada basalis has been identified on the Eastern states of Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Micronesia and Polynesia (including an outlier population on Easter Island). Mallada basalis has been seen living in both suburban and native flora environments.

The first confirmed sighting of Mallada basalis in New Zealand was on Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf in 2010 (though specimens had been discovered on Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands chain since the 1970s), and the first specimen in Auckland was identified in 2016. By 2020, Mallada basalis was present across the Auckland and Northland Regions. As of 2020, it is unclear if this species self-introduced to New Zealand, or if it was introduced due to human activity. The impact of this species on New Zealand is currently unknown. No native Chrysopidae species have been previously described from mainland New Zealand; their presence may control agricultural pests such as aphids and mealybugs, or pose a risk to native insect life. Many lacewing species were imported to New Zealand between the 1920s and 1970s, however none successfully established populations in the country.