Antlions,+The+Hidden+Predator

Antlions, The Hidden Predator Figure 1

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Neuroptera Suborder: Myrmeleontiformia Superfamily: Myrmeleontoidea Family: Myrmeleontidae

Description: When you hear “antlion” your first thought is not of a winged adult flying through the air, but instead it is one of a small hidden predator which traps their prey in sandy graves. Antlions are known for their predacious larval form which normally sits and waits for till unfortunate victims fall into an unexpected trap, where all hope of escape is lost. The larva has a sandy-gray colored oval abdomen with a large head used to launch loosened soil particles to bury its body until only its jaws projected. As it matures into an adult, unlike most Holometabola the adult form of the antlion is a frail, weak flying, nocturnal creature whom are rarely seen or noticed. The adult antlion has a long slender body much like a damselfly but smaller in stature. (1)

Figure 2

Life Cycle: Eggs are laid over the course of the last few weeks of summer, where they will hatch in early fall. Once the larvae emerge from the eggs it will burrow underground and wait out the winter. (1) Once the snow begins to melt the larvae emerges from beneath the ground and begins to create it pit-falls in the ground, ranging from one to two inches deep and one to three inches wide. They will begin spending the course of the next couple of months feasting on everything that falls into their traps until they are ready to mature and pupate. Once this occurs they will burrow underground and form a cocoon of sand and spun silk, then once again will reemerge as an adult this time. Once they break free from the cocoon they must begin mating quickly because of their short life span, due to the disappearance of a mouth in adult hood.(2)

Figure 3

Reference Image Fig 1 [] Fig 2 [] Fig 3 []
 * 1) 1. “Marshall, Stephen.  //Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity//. Buffalo,NY: Firefly Books, 2006. Print.
 * 2) 2. "antlion." //Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition //. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/28710/antlion**]>.