Micromus variegatus
Description
Length about 8 mm. Known as a brown lacewing, its wings have several dark brown markings.
Identification difficulty

ID guidance
- small brown lacewing ~ 8mm
- only three branches to the radial vein
- hind wings with three brown marks
Habitat
It usually lives in dense herbage but is sometimes attracted to lights.
When to see it
Peak time is August.
Life History
Larvae are extremely voracious and feed on both nymphs and adult aphids.
UK Status
Common and widespread throughout most of Britain but becomes more local further north and is quite rare in Scotland.
VC55 Status
Frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were approximately 43 records for this species according to the 'Checklist of Neuroptera and allies in VC55' published in 2018.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015