Details
Myrmeleon formicarius
The antlion is a lacewing whose larva is famous as a pit-building predator. In loose sand the larva traps ants and other small insects in funnel-shaped pits.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs in woodland edges, grassland, and dry sandy places of the Palearctic. Larvae choose fine sand protected from heavy rain.
Length 3-4 cm; weight 0.1 g-0.4 g. Adults have a slender body and clear wings, resembling delicate dragonflies but with longer antennae. Larvae are squat with large sickle-shaped jaws.
Adults are crepuscular and mostly solitary. Larvae wait at the bottom of sand pits and flick sand at prey that slips down.
A carnivore, the larva sucks fluids from ants and other small insects. Adults may also take small insect prey.
Females lay eggs in sandy ground. Larvae later spin cocoons in the sand, pupate, and emerge as winged adults.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
