Mark Sturtevant wrote:
I don't know. Maybe a bit of both? According to photos and some descriptions I have regarding spider hosts, mantidflies lays their eggs in the habitats where their hosts are found, but the larvae must wander to find a host. I could see where an adult mantidfly would benefit from being a mimic when lurking around a nesting area, but would especially benefit when making a get-away as a new adult.
To go a bit further. Mantispids share a development, hypermetamorphosis, with beetles in the family Meloidae and Rhipiphoridae. The triungulin is long legged and active. When a host is found, it feeds, then sheds into a 'fatter' triungulin. Then it settles in and eats the host. The next sheds prodoce a more scarabaeiform larva, until pupation. Convergent evolution at work. Paper wasps are vicious predators. I put outside about twenty imperial moth larva, second stage, on gum branches. Went inside, five minutes later saw the last two get grabbed and masticated in seconds. Makes lions iook like slackers.
Thanks, Mark.