Nemopteridae, the spoonwings, are a family of

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 th ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

s. They are also called thread-winged antlions. They are found in the

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sib ...

, Australasian and

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

s but absent in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

(though a fossil has been found in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

).Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. Volume 3, Insects, edited by Michael Hutchins, Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison, and Neil Schlager. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2003. Their flight is delicate and they have a circling flight to avoid walls when they are trapped indoors. The long streamer is conspicuous when the insects are flying and these are the elongated and spatulate hindwings. Male nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

Taxonomy

Marquettia americana (Cockerell 1907) PSM V73 D129

There are two distinct subfamilies in the family Nemopteridae: *Subfamily Crocinae, mostly nocturnal and crepuscular species with often a narrow habitat preference. They are found in arid desert zones and have a wide distribution along the southern fringes of the west

and Western Asia, as well as in dry Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australian areas. :*'' Afghanocroce'' :*'' Amerocroce'' :*'' Anacroce'' :*'' Apocroce'' :*'' Austrocroce'' :*'' Carnarviana'' :*'' Concroce'' :* '' Cretocroce'' Lu ''et al''. 2019 –

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in ...

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

, Myanmar :*'' Croce'' :*'' Dielocroce'' :*'' Josandreva'' :*'' Laurhervasia'' :*'' Moranida'' :*'' Necrophylus'' :*'' Pterocroce'' :*'' Pastranaia '' :*'' Thysanocroce'' :*'' Tjederia'' :*'' Veurise'' *Subfamily Nemopterinae – diurnal, with a greater diversity. Genera include: :* '' Barbibucca'' :* '' Lertha'' :* '' Nemoptera'' :* '' Nemopterella'' Other nemopterid genera include: * '' Brevistoma'' * '' Chasmoptera'' * '' Cratonemopteryx'' Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian * '' Derhynchia'' * ''

Halter A halter or headcollar is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. On smalle ...

'' * '' Halterina'' * '' Knersvlaktia'' * '' Krika'' Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian * '' Lertha'' * '' Nemeura'' * '' Nemia'' * '' Nemopistha'' * '' Nemopterella'' * '' Palmipenna'' * '' Parasicyoptera'' * '' Pterocroce '' * '' Roesleriana'' Martins-Neto 1997 – Crato Formation, Brazil,

Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ag ...

* '' Savigniella '' * '' Semirhynchia'' * '' Sicyoptera '' * '' Stenorrhachus ''

References

External links

* *
Taxonomy – ''Nemopteridae ''

Larval Stages of European Nemopterinae, with Systematic Considerations on the Family Nemopteridae (Insecta, Neuroptera)
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Neuroptera Neuroptera families {{Neuroptera-stub