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Antlions are a family of insects in the order Neuroptera, classified as Myrmeleontidae (sometimes spelled as Myrmeleonidae), from the Greek "myrmex", meaning "ant", and "leo(n)", meaning "lion"; the most known genus is Myrmeleo. Strictly speaking the term antlion applies to the larval form of the members of this family. Antlions are worldwide in distribution, most common in arid and sandy habitats, and can be fairly small to very large (wingspan range of 2-15 cm). Antlions are omnivorous. The antlion larvae eat ants and other insects, while the adult antlion eats pollen and nectar. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x801, 256 KB) An adult antlion Taken by Fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Antlion ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
“Animalia†redirects here. ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...
Suborders Megaloptera Raphidioptera Planipennia The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the fishflies, snakeflies, lacewings and antlions. ...
In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ...
This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...
Suborders Megaloptera Raphidioptera Planipennia The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the fishflies, snakeflies, lacewings and antlions. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ...
SEM image of pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), prairie hollyhock (Sidalcea malviflora), oriental lily (Lilium auratum), evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis). ...
In Greek mythology, nectar and ambrosia are the food of the gods. ...
The antlion larva is often called a "'Doodlebug"'. One theory is that it gets this name from the odd winding, spiralling trails it leaves in the sand while looking for a good location to build its trap. These trails look like someone has doodled in the sand. A doodle of a dog. ...
The adult antlion has two pairs of long, narrow, multi-veined wings in which the apical veins enclose regular oblong spaces, and a long, slender abdomen. Although they greatly resemble dragonflies or damselflies, they belong to an entirely different order of insects. Antlions are easily distinguished from damselflies by their longer, prominent, apically clubbed antennae and different pattern of wing venation. They also are very feeble fliers and are normally found fluttering about in the night, in search of a mate. The adult is rarely seen in the wild because it is typically active only in the evening. Wing structure of a dragonfly (family Gomphidae) Insect wings are outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. ...
The abdomen is a part of the body. ...
Families Aeshnidae Austropetaliidae Cordulegastridae Corduliidae Gomphidae Libellulidae Macromiidae Neopetaliidae Petaluridae A dragonfly is any insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. ...
Families Amphipterygidae Calopterygidae - Demoiselles Chlorocyphidae - Jewels Coenagrionidae - Pond Damselflies Dicteriadidae - Barelegs Euphaeidae - Gossamerwings Hemiphlebidae - Reedlings Isosticidae - Narrow-wings Lestidae - Spreadwings Lestoididae Megapodagrionidae - Flatwings Perilestidae - Shortwings Platycnemidae - Brook Damselflies Platystictidae - Forest Damselflies Polythoridae - Bannerwings Protoneuridae - Pinflies Pseudostigmatidae - Forest Giants Synlestidae - Sylphs The Damselfly (Suborder Zygoptera) is an insect in the Order...
In scientific classification used in biology, the order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). ...
Insects display a wide variety of antennal shapes. ...
Development
Closeup of another antlion larva The life cycle of the antlion begins with egg-laying or "oviposition". The female antlion repeatedly taps the sand surface with the tip of her abdomen. She then inserts her abdomen into the sand and lays an egg. The antlion larva is a ferocious-appearing creature with a robust, fusiform body bearing three pairs of walking legs and a prothorax forming a slender mobile neck for the large square head, which bears an enormous pair of sicklelike jaws (mandibles) with several sharp, hollow projections. Depending on species and where it lives, the larvae will either hide under leaves or pieces of wood, or dig pits in sandy areas. Image File history File linksMetadata Antlion1. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Antlion1. ...
In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ...
The pupal stage of the antlion is quiescent. The larva makes a globular cocoon of sand stuck together with fine silk spun from a slender spinneret at the posterior end of the body. These cocoons may be buried several centimeters deep in the sand. It remains there for one month, until the completion of the transformation into the sexually mature insect, which then emerges from the case, leaving the pupal integument behind, and climbs to the surface. After about 20 minutes the adult's wings are fully opened and it will fly off in search of a mate. The adult is considerably larger than the larva; they exhibit the greatest disparity in size between larva and adult of any type of holometabolous insects, by virtue of the adults having an extremely thin, flimsy exoskeleton (in other words, they have extremely low mass per unit of volume). The adults are reported to subsist on plant nectar, but some species retain strong chewing jaws similar to those of the dragonfly indicating that they also feed on insects. Image File history File linksMetadata Antlion2. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Antlion2. ...
Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) pupa Chrysalis redirects here: for other meanings see Chrysalis (disambiguation). ...
In cell biology, quiescence is the state of cell when it is not dividing. ...
The tough brown cocoon of an Emperor Gum Moth. ...
Silk dresses Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. ...
Holometabolism, also called complete metamorphism, is a term applied to insect groups to describe the specific kind of insect development which includes four life stages - as an embryo, a larva, a pupa and an imago. ...
An exoskeleton, in contrast to an endoskeleton, is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animals body. ...
Pitfall construction Having marked out the chosen site by a circular groove, the antlion larva starts to crawl backwards, using its abdomen as a plough to shovel up the soil. By the aid of one front leg it places consecutive heaps of loosened particles upon its head, then with a smart jerk throws each little pile clear of the scene of operations. Proceeding thus it gradually works its way from the circumference towards the centre. As it slowly moves round and round, the pit gradually gets deeper and deeper, until the slope angle reaches the angle of repose. When the pit is completed, the larva settles down at the bottom, buried in the soil with only the jaws projecting above the surface, often in a wide-opened position on either side of the very tip of the cone. The angle of repose, also referred to as angle of friction, is an engineering property of granular materials. ...
Trapping prey
Sand pit trap of the antlion Since the sides of the pit consist of loose sand at its angle of repose[1] (that is, the steepest angle the sand can maintain, where it is on the verge of collapse from slight disturbance), they afford an insecure foothold to any small insects that inadvertently venture over the edge, such as ants. Slipping to the bottom, the prey is immediately seized by the lurking ant-lion; or if it attempts to scramble again up the treacherous walls of the pit, it is speedily checked in its efforts and brought down by showers of loose sand which are thrown at it from below by the larva. By throwing up loose sand from the bottom of the pit, the larva also undermines the sides of the pit, causing them to collapse and bring the prey with them. Thus it does not matter whether the larva actually strikes the prey with the sand showers. Image File history File links the antlions sand pit trap. ...
Image File history File links the antlions sand pit trap. ...
The angle of repose, also referred to as angle of friction, is an engineering property of granular materials. ...
Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ...
Antlion larvae are capable of capturing and killing a variety of insects, and can even subdue small spiders. The projections in the jaws of the insect are hollow and through this the larva will suck the fluids out of its victim. After consuming the contents, the dry carcass is flicked out of the pit. The larva readies the pit once again by throwing out collapsed material from the center, steepening the pit walls to the angle of repose. Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae See table of families Closeup image of a Wolf Spider Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ...
An average-sized larva digs a pit about 2 inches deep and 3 inches wide at the edge. This behavior has also evolved in a family of flies, the Vermileonidae, whose larvae dig the same sort of pit to feed on ants. Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Wikispecies has information related to: Diptera True flies are insects of the Order Diptera (Greek: di = two, and pteron = wing), possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax. ...
Genera Alhajarmyia Stuckenberg, 2003 Isalomyia Stuckenberg, 2002 Lampromyia Macquart, 1835 Leptynoma Westwood, 1876 Namaquamyia Stuckenberg, 2002 Vermileo Macquart, 1834 Vermilynx Stuckenberg, 1995 Vermiophis Yang, 1979 Vermipardus Stuckenberg, 1960 Vermitigris Wheeler, 1930 The Brachyceran family Vermileonidae (the sole member of the infraorder Vermileonomorpha) is a small family of uncertain affinities and...
Antlions are especially abundant in soft sand beneath trees or under overhanging rocks. Apparently the larvae prefer dry places that are protected from the rain. Eventually the larva attains its maximum size and undergoes metamorphosis. The entire length of time from egg-laying to adulthood may take two or three years due to the uncertainty and irregular nature of its food supply. When it first hatches, the tiny larva specializes in very small insects, but as it grows larger, it constructs larger pits and thus catches larger prey. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x899, 389 KB) An adult antlion Taken by Fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Antlion ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x899, 389 KB) An adult antlion Taken by Fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Antlion ...
The rocky side of a mountain creek near OrosÃ, Costa Rica. ...
A Pieris rapae larva An older Pieris rapae larva A Pieris rapae pupa A Pieris rapae adult Metamorphosis is a process in biology by which an individual physically develops after birth or hatching, and involves significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ...
In certain species of Myrmeleontidae, such as Dendroleon pantheormis, the larva, although resembling that of Myrmeleon structurally, makes no pitfall, but seizes passing prey from any nook or crevice in which it shelters.
Etymology The exact meaning of the name ant-lion (French fourmilion) is uncertain. It has been thought that it refers to the fact that ants form a large percentage of the prey of the insect, the suffix "lion" merely suggesting destroyer or eater. Perhaps, however, the name may only signify a large terrestrial biting apterous insect, surpassing the ant in size and predatory habits.
The Japanese word for Antlion or Doodlebug is "Ari-jigoku", literally "Ant Hell".[2] The term "ari-jigoku" is also used to describe a situation in which one has fallen into inevitable doom, and must languish while awaiting disaster.
image showing antlion imago with wings open Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...
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References - ^ Effects of slope and particle size on ant locomotion: Implications for choice of substrate by antlions, Botz, Jason T.; Loudon, Catherine; Barger, J. Bradley; Olafsen, Jeffrey S.; Steeples, Don W.; (J. Kans. Entomol. Soc.), ISSN 0022-8567, 2003, vol. 76, no3, pp. 426-435 abstract
- ^ Mark Spahn and Wolfgang Hadamitzky, The Kanji Dictionary, Tuttle 2003, ISBN 0-8048-2058-9, p. 1416
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ...
The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...
See also The Antlion Euroleon nostras is an extremely rare insect in Britain, only known from the Minsmere area of the Suffolk coast, although a population of this or a related species has very recently been found in Norfolk. ...
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