Antlion
Antlion lacewings, also known as doodlebugs or doodleflies or simply antlions, are a family of insects in the order, Neuroptera with the scientific name Myrmeleontidae. The most well-known genus is Myrmeleo. There are about 2,000 species.
| Antlions Temporal range: Mesozoic - Recent
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| Antlion | |
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| Family: | Myrmeleontidae
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Description
Most people know this insect because of the funnel-shaped pit, up to 2 inches in diameter and depth, produced by the larval stages of this insect to trap ants. Larvae have globular abdomens and narrower, flattened heads bearing sickle-shaped jaws. Adults superficially resemble drab-colored, 1 ½ inch long damselflies with four long, narrow, net-veined wings roof-like held over a long, skinny abdomen when at rest. Unlike damselflies, however, ant-lion antennae are prominent and clubbed at the end.
Digestion
Antlions burrow in the ground, forming a pit for prey to fall into. The pit is angled so that the sides of the pit crumble when the victim tries to climb out. After being swallowed by the antlion, the victim is kept alive and slowly digested over 1,000 years, where they will fund a new definition of pain and suffering. The prey is restrained by tentacles in the stomach to prevent it from escaping.
Antlion Media
Doodlebug (antlion) doodles and pit traps in the Grand Canyon
Antlion (Myrmecaelurus trigrammus) Macedonia
Larva of Myrmeleon immaculatus
The bottom side of larval mandible with a visible maxilla for injecting venom
from Sri Lanka
The life-cycle of Distoleon tetragrammicus
An antlion cocoon on the side of a house
Sand pit trap of an antlion
Antlion larva extracted from sand pit
Microscopic illustration of an antlion larva's pincer by Martin Frobenius Ledermüller (1759–1763), showcasing the serrated jaws used to seize prey at the bottom of its sand trap.
Video of antlion larva trying to catch prey with sand traps and eating a small spider
Video of a larva trapping an ant by throwing sand at it
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