# Hibana Hibana is a tiny, colorful insect that loves to flit around flowers! Kids can often spot them buzzing happily in gardens and parks. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Habitat:** Hibana live in gardens, meadows, and near water sources. - **Also known as:** Color Bug, Hibby ![Hibana](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Hibana_velox.jpg&width=800) Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hibana_velox.jpg) ## Appearance The Hibana is a strikingly iridescent insect with a slender body, often displaying metallic green and coppery-red hues. Its large, compound eyes are a contrasting emerald green, standing out against its darker head. Its delicate, veined wings are clear but shimmer with a subtle rainbow effect in sunlight. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Anyphaenidae - **Genus:** Hibana ## Interesting facts - Despite their small size, Hibana can hover perfectly still in the air for extended periods. - Hibana larvae live underwater, using gills to breathe before transforming into flying adults! - Some Hibana can complete their entire adult life cycle in less than a single week! - The Hibana's vibrant colors are not pigment, but from light reflecting off tiny scales! ## Special abilities - **Super Speedy Sensing:** Hibana has highly sensitive antennae that help them detect tiny prey movements in the air from a distance. - **Flash Flight:** Hibana can dart and weave at incredible speeds thanks to powerful wing muscles, making them hard to catch. - **Vision Vortex:** Hibana possesses enormous compound eyes, giving them a nearly 360-degree field of view to spot predators and prey. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 15-30 mm - **Size:** 8-18 mm - **Lifespan:** 45-90 days - **Flight Speed:** 8 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Hibana are swift hunters, catching and eating other small insects in mid-air! - **Age differences:** Larvae are aquatic predators, feeding on other small aquatic invertebrates. - **Primary Foods:** mosquitoes, gnats, small flies, aphids - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** common house mosquito (*Culex pipiens*) — Main food source - **Symbiotic with:** [bumblebee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bumblebee) (*Bombus terrestris*) — Competes for nectar sources - **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Common avian predator - **Eaten by:** [American Bullfrog](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-bullfrog) (*Rana catesbeiana*) — Preyed upon by frogs ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Hibana? Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Hibana's wingspan? 15-30 mm ### How big is Hibana? 8-18 mm ### How long does Hibana live? 45-90 days ### How fast can Hibana fly? 8 km/h ### What does Hibana eat? Hibana are swift hunters, catching and eating other small insects in mid-air! ### Where is Hibana usually found? Hibana live in gardens, meadows, and near water sources. ### How does Hibana hunt? Pursuit ## Where to spot - [Surrey Square Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/surrey-square-park) — Virginia, US · Park ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Hibana: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hibana)