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Myrmeleontidae
The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae are sometimes referred to as doodlebugs because of the marks they leave in the sand. The adult insects are less well known due to their relatively short lifespans compared to the larvae. Adults, sometimes known as antlion lacewings, mostly fly at dusk or after dark and may be mistakenly identified as dragonflies or damselflies. Antlions have a worldwide distribution. The greatest diversity occurs in the tropics, but a few species are found in cold- temperate locations, one such being the European '' Euroleon nostras''. They most commonly occur in dry and sandy habitats where the larvae can easily excavate their pits, but some larvae hide under debris or ambush their prey among leaf litter. Antlions are poorly represented in the fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owlfly
Ascalaphidae is a family of insects in the order Neuroptera, commonly called owlflies; there are some 450 extant species. They are fast-flying crepuscular or diurnal predators of other flying insects, and have large bulging eyes and strongly knobbed antennae. The larvae are ambush predators; some of them make use of self-decoration camouflage. Description Owlflies are readily distinguished from the superficially similar dragonflies by their long, clubbed antennae; dragonflies have short, bristle-like antennae. The closely related antlions (family Myrmeleontidae) have short, weakly clubbed antennae, smaller eyes, and reticulate wing venation. All but one species of Ascalaphidae have long antennae, easily distinguishing them. The sole exception is the Brazilian '' Albardia furcata'', the only living member of the subfamily Albardiinae, which has short antennae, but these are strongly clubbed (compared to myrmeleontids), and its wing venation is reticulate, typical of ascalaph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distoleon Tetragrammicus
''Distoleon tetragrammicus'' is a species of antlion in the subfamily Myrmeleontinae. Distribution ''Distoleon tetragrammicus'' is widespread in the western Palearctic realm and it is present in most of Southern Europe and in North Africa. Habitat This species can be found in a wide range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountain forests, mainly in arid and sandy areas, in oak and pine forests and in various calcareous wasteland with minimum moisture. The larvae avoid exposed sites as coastal dunes. Description The adults of ''Distoleon tetragrammicus'' greatly resemble dragonflies or damselflies. They have a wingspan of about . The front wing can reach a width of . They have thick, prominent, apically clubbed antennae, a long, narrow abdomen and two pairs of long, transparent, multiveined wings, with some brown and opaque spots. This species is sometimes confused with ''Myrmeleon formicarius''. The larvae do not look anything like adults. The length of a fully grown larva i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order consists of some 6,000 species. Neuroptera can be grouped together with the Megaloptera and Raphidioptera in the unranked taxon Neuropterida (once known as Planipennia) including: alderflies, fishflies, dobsonflies, and snakeflies. Adult Neuropterans have four membranous wings, all about the same size, with many veins. They have chewing mouthparts, and undergo complete metamorphosis. Neuropterans first appeared during the Permian period, and continued to diversify through the Mesozoic era. During this time, several unusually large forms evolved, especially in the extinct family Kalligrammatidae, often called "the butterflies of the Jurassic" for their large, patterned wings. Anatomy and biology Neuropterans are soft-bodied insects with relatively few specialized features. They have large lateral compound eyes, and may or may not also have oce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmeleontiformia
Myrmeleontiformia is an insect clade in the order Neuroptera, and which was historically treated as a suborder. The phylogeny of the Neuroptera has been explored using mitochondrial DNA sequences, and while issues remain for the order as a whole, such as "Hemerobiiformia" being paraphyletic, Myrmeleontiformia is generally agreed to be monophyletic, with one study giving the following cladogram: Superfamilies and families Clade Myrmeleontiformia * Superfamily Myrmeleontoidea (syn Nemopteroidea) ** Family Ascalaphidae: owlflies (possibly in Myrmeleontoidea) ** Family †Babinskaiidae ** Family Myrmeleontidae: antlions (includes Palaeoleontidae) ** Family Nemopteridae: spoonwings etc (formerly in Myrmeleontoidea) ** Family Nymphidae: split-footed lacewings (includes Myiodactylidae) ** Family † Rafaelianidae * Superfamily Psychopsoidea ** Family † Aetheogrammatidae ** Family †Kalligrammatidae ** Family † Osmylopsychopidae ( syn †Brongniartiellidae) ** Family † Panf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euroleon Nostras
''Euroleon nostras'' is a species of antlion found over most of Europe. The scientific name can be translated as "our European ntlion". Adults resemble dragonflies or damselflies and may reach up to long, with a wingspan of . The larvae prey on ants and other small creatures and require dry sandy soil in which to dig their pitfall traps. Description The larva of ''E. nostras'' has large jaws and a broad abdomen. When fully developed, which may take two years, it pupates under the soil, undergoes metamorphosis, emerging a month later as a much larger winged insect. The adult ''E. nostras'' is brown and resembles a dragonfly or damselfly in appearance. It is about long with a wingspan of about . The four large translucent wings are spotted with brown. Distribution ''Euroleon nostras'' has a widespread distribution in Europe, and has been recorded from almost all European countries, its range extending from Spain through Germany to western Russia. It is also known from Morocco in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palparinae
Palparinae is an antlion subfamily in the family Myrmeleontidae The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae .... References External links Myrmeleontidae Insect subfamilies {{Antlion-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmecaelurinae
Myrmecaelurinae is a subfamily of Myrmeleontidae The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae ..., the antlions. References External links Myrmeleontidae Insect subfamilies {{Antlion-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmeleontoidea
Myrmeleontoidea is a neuropteran superfamily in the clade Myrmeleontiformia. Engel, Winteron, and Breitkreuz (2018) included the following families: Superfamily Myrmeleontoidea (syn Nemopteroidea) * Family Ascalaphidae: owlflies (possibly in Myrmeleontoidea) * Family †Babinskaiidae * Family Myrmeleontidae: antlions (includes Palaeoleontidae; possibly in Ascalaphidae) * Family Nemopteridae: spoonwings etc * Family Nymphidae Nymphidae, sometimes called split-footed lacewings, are a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. There are 35 extant species native to Australia and New Guinea. Nymphidae stand somewhat apart from other living Myrmeleontoidea. The ...: split-footed lacewings (including Myiodactylidae) * Family † Rafaelianidae References Insect superfamilies {{Neuroptera-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dendroleontinae
Dendroleontinae is a subfamily of Myrmeleontidae The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae ..., the antlions. References External links Myrmeleontidae Insect subfamilies {{Antlion-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acanthaclisinae
Acanthaclisinae is a subfamily of Myrmeleontidae, the antlions. It comprises a single tribe, Acanthaclisini Acanthaclisini is a tribe in the antlion subfamily Acanthaclisinae. The larvae of most species live in open tracts of fairly deep sand, and do not construct pitfall traps. They burrow beneath the surface of the sand which needs to be deep eno ..., which has about 221 species in 16 genera. References External links * * Myrmeleontidae Insect subfamilies {{Antlion-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmeleontinae
Myrmeleontinae is a subfamily of Myrmeleontidae The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, the larvae ..., the antlions. References External links Insect subfamilies {{antlion-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monophyly
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic groups are typically characterised by shared derived characteristics ( synapomorphies), which distinguish organisms in the clade from other organisms. An equivalent term is holophyly. The word "mono-phyly" means "one-tribe" in Greek. Monophyly is contrasted with paraphyly and polyphyly as shown in the second diagram. A ''paraphyletic group'' consists of all of the descendants of a common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups. A '' polyphyletic group'' is characterized by convergent features or habits of scientific interest (for example, night-active primates, fruit trees, aquatic insects). The features by which a polyphyletic group is differentiated from others are not inherited from a common ancestor. These definitions have taken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
