Mantispa nana (Navás, 1912) (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) Like many desert countries, the UAE is rich in species of nocturnal insects that belong to the order of nerve-winged insects or Neuroptera. Members of various families that include green lacewings (Chrysopidae), brown lacewings (Hemerobiidae), antlions (Myrmeleontidae), ribbon wings (Nemopteridae) and owl flies (Ascalaphidae) are all common at suitable sites (Howarth and Gillett 2008) and can often be attracted in large numbers to light traps. More recently an insect belonging to a sixth family of this order, the Mantispidae or mantis flies, has been collected and identified. It is Mantispa nana and has been found at a number of sites, including Al Ain and Dubai and is a further new record for the UAE.

Published as part of Howarth, Brigitte & Gillett, Michael, 2009, Increasing knowledge of the entomological fauna of the United Arab Emirates and the role of private collections, pp. 119-132 in ZooKeys 31 (3) on page 128, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.31.139, http://zenodo.org/record/576584