Psychopsidae

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Silky lacewings (family Psychopsidae) are a group of insects in the order Neuroptera. They are known for their spectacularly patterned, hairy wings, broad wing shape, dense veins, and a hindwing feature called vena triplica (three veins fusing near the tip).

Classification wise, silky lacewings were once placed in the Hemerobioidea, but they are not closely related to net-winged insects. They are thought to be closer to the Myrmeleontoidea, a group that includes antlions, and to the spoon-winged laceflies (Nemopteridae). Some scientists also connect them with Nemopteroidea, which in modern classifications is often treated as part of the Myrmeleontoidea. Together with the “butterfly” lacewings of Kalligrammatidae, they form a distinct branch within this broader group.

Fossils show that silky lacewings were much more diverse from the Triassic through the Tertiary periods; today they are less diverse. The living family includes five genera in three subfamilies, with additional extinct genera known from fossils.

Geographically, living silky lacewings are found in three regions: Afrotropical (three genera), Indomalayan (one genus), and Australasian (one genus).