Four-spotted Mantisfly

Dicromantispa interrupta · Order: Neuroptera · Family: Mantispidae

Also called: Four-spotted Mantidfly

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Four-spotted Mantisfly
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY

Adults have spotted wings. They occur in Central America and North America. The larvae develop inside the egg sacs of hunting spiders.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Adults have spotted wings.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Four-spotted Mantisfly photo 3
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY
Four-spotted Mantisfly photo 4
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY
Four-spotted Mantisfly photo 5
Photo: tcantrell52, CC BY
Four-spotted Mantisfly photo 6
Photo: Trevor Edmonson, CC BY

Questions people ask

Where can I find Four-spotted Mantisfly?

It occurs in Central America and North America.

Source: Wikipedia

What do the larvae of Four-spotted Mantisfly eat?

The larvae develop inside the egg sacs of hunting spiders.

Source: Wikipedia

How can I recognize an adult Four-spotted Mantisfly?

Adults have spotted wings.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Mantispidae)

Say's MantidflySay's MantidflyDicromantispa sayiGreen MantisflyGreen MantisflyZeugomantispa minutaBrown Wasp MantidflyBrown Wasp MantidflyClimaciella brunneaStyrian praying lacewingStyrian praying lacewingMantispa styriaca

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicromantispa_interrupta

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.