The Mantispidae (Neuroptera), commonly known as mantid lacewings or mantispids, are characterized by raptorial forelegs used by adults for predation. They have a fossil history extending to the Early Jurassic. During the past 180 Myr, the lineage has undergone significant evolutionary transformation, exhibiting an elevated diversity in morphology yet retaining the same overall ground plan. Although raptorial foreleg morphology and capture behaviour are well documented in extant insects, they are poorly known for premodern lineages, attributable to the scarcity and poor preservation of fossils. Here, we report two new genera and species of Mantispidae from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. Both taxa have highly specialized raptorial forelegs and highlight modification of capture strategy in Cretaceous Mantispidae. The foreleg of both species has one major spine that is the same length as the foretibia on the ventral surface of the forefemur, which faces the foretibia with a row of robust setae. The two new amber mantid lacewings provide structural and functional indications that represent an extinct mode of capture strategy. The new findings reveal the presence of a geochronologically rapid diversification of Mantispidae during the Early Cretaceous, thereby illuminating the varied morphologies involved in prey-capture strategies integral to the early evolution of mantispids.

A phylogeny of the lacewing family Nymphidae based on morphology and DNA sequences is presented including representatives of all living genera and selected fossil genera. Widely distributed Jurassic and Cretaceous genera gave rise to recent taxa now restricted to Australasia. Two previously defined clades (i.e. Nymphinae and Myiodactylinae) were recovered and reflect the diverging adult and larval morphology of members of these two subfamilies. From Chinese Cretaceous deposits, a new genus (Spilonymphes gen. nov.) is described with one new species, as well as new species described in the genera Baissoleon Makarkin and Sialium Westwood.

Mantispidae have developed multidimensional specializations of predation that are leveraged by trade-offs involving attack properties, which is revealed by interdisciplinary analyses of phylogeny, morphometrics, and mechanical modeling. The lineage diversification was stimulated by its raptorial foreleg evolution, and was influenced by the ecosystem of corresponding periods, involving biotic and physical factors.

A new genus and species of fossil hemerobiid, Longantenna hei gen. et sp. nov., is described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. This new genus exhibits the venation characters combination of RP with only one stem and the forewing ScP and RA separated, resembling the extinct genus Hemeroberotha Makarkin & Gröhn, 2020 from the same assemblage, meanwhile it shows more differences from the other Mesozoic and Cenozoic hemerobiid genera. Besides, the ORBs variations among the extinct and extant hemerobiids are discussed.