They have two pairs of long, narrow, many-veined wings and a long, slender abdomen. Like many other members of the order, adult antlions are commonly seen around lights and campfires, particularly during the late summer and fall. Two of the most common genera in the southwestern United States are Myrmeleon and Brachynemurus. One curious member of the order, called a mantispid, shows a striking resemblance to a miniature preying mantis with enlarged, grasping front legs.Ī ntlions belong to the family Myrmeleontidae and include over 600 described species. The immature or larval stage of dobsonflies, called hellgrammites, are familiar to fishermen and fisherwomen because they are commonly used as bait. The order includes many predaceous, night-flying species, including lacewings, alderflies, snakeflies and dobsonflies. Pupation usually occurs in a silken cocoon however, the silk is not derived from modified salivary glands as in most insects, but is produced by the Malpighian tubules and is spun from the anus. The larval stage is typically a grotesque, wingless creature with long, sicklelike jaws. These insects undergo complete metamorphosis with an egg, larva, pupa and winged adult. They are often called the 'nerve-winged insects' because of the elaborate pattern of longitudinal and cross-veins (nerves) in the four wings of adults.

The right image (red arrow) shows numerous smaller craters made by antlion larvae, remarkable ant predators.Īrizona leaf-cutter ant ( Acromyrmex versicolor) carrying pinnate leaf of palo verde ( Cercidium microphyllum = Parkinsonia microphylla): State tree of Arizona.Ī ntlions are members of a large order of unusual insects, the Neuroptera.

Each funnel-like crater is approximately 2 centimeters in diameter and almost as deep.Īrizona Leaf-Cutter Ant Nests ( Acromyrmex versicolor)ĭistinctive nests of leaf-cutter ants ( Acromyrmex versicolor). This same behavior can be observed in various types of spiders by gently touching their web with a small twig or feather.Ĭrater-like pits made by the antlion larva in soft sand. Falsely believing it has made a capture, the antlion becomes excited and crawls out into view. When your speak close to their crater, some grains of sand become dislodged and fall into the pit. The Wayne's Word staff has tested this hypothesis repeatedly and we must agree with the conclusions of other scientists that antlions do not understand the word 'doodlebug.' In fact, they can't understand anything you say. In fact, some of these people claim that repeating the phrase 'doodlebug, doodlebug, come out of your hole' with your face close to the ground will cause the antlion larva to crawl out into view. This larval stage is often called a 'doodlebug' by certain people. T he actual creature waiting at the bottom of its ingenious pitfall trap is the larval stage of an unusual insect. If antlions were about 100 times larger, they would be a formidable threat to people walking in the desert. It is commonly called an antlion, referring to its habit of preying on small crawling insects, such as ants.

In fact, a remarkably similar large scale model of it was used in the Star Trek II film, 'The Wrath of Khan!' This remarkable creature makes funnel-shaped, crater-like pits in soft sand, and then waits patiently at the bottom to ambush a hapless passer-by that happens to fall in. T he arid southwestern United States is rich in diverse forms of animal life, but there is one little creature that looks like something out of a science fiction horror movie. Hilltopping-A Way For Sexually Active Insects To Meet.See A Winged Adult Antlion Ready For Its Mate.See An Antlion Pupa Inside Its Sand Cocoon.See Antlion Cocoons Made Of Sand Grains.A Close-Up Portrait Of An Antlion Larva.See Crater-Like Antlion Pits In The Sand.This Wayne's Word Noteworthy Plant Originally Published In July 1997

Insect pitfall trap image from book