Myrmeleontidae+-+Antlions



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



The members of the family Myrmeleontidae (antlions) are well known from their larval stage. The larval form builds pit-traps to forage for food. This strategy allows them to capture a wide range of prey (Heinrich and Heinrich 1983). Ant lions are so effective at this strategy, some ant species have been thought to use biotic cues to avoid areas with known ant lions (Gotelli 1996). Ant lions have a global distribution, but due to the larvae utilizing loose sand to build the pit-traps, they are most common in sandy environments. The adult ant lions resemble damselflies (Fig.2) and feeding habits range from pollen feeders to predators.



Only the larvae of Myrmeleontidae create pit-traps to capture prey. The prey captured varies often depending on what is near the ant lion zone and the size of the pit-trap. The size of pit-traps have an effect on what size prey the larvae will respond to: larvae in small pit-traps did not respond to large ants, but did capture small ants; larvae in medium sized traps captured large ants but after a prolonged amount of time; and larvae in large traps captured large ants in less time (Heinrich and Heinrich 1983). Because of these variations in construction strategies, ant lions could potentially alter their strategies to best fit the environment.
 * Pit-traps**



Predators often have an effect on the population dynamics of their prey. Gotelli (1996) found evidence that the presence of ant lions affected the neighboring ant populations. Effects of ant lions on ants included where the ant nest entrances were located and where the ants foraged for food. This is important because it shows predation can have community wide impacts on distribution, abundance, and behavior of prey.
 * Ant Populations**

GOTELLI, N. J. 1996. Ant community structure: Effects of predatory ant lions. Ecology 77:630-638.
 * Literature Cited**:

HEINRICH, B., AND M. J. E. HEINRICH. 1984. THE PIT-TRAPPING FORAGING STRATEGY OF THE ANT LION, MYRMELEON-IMMACULATUS DEGEER (NEUROPTERA, MYRMELEONTIDAE). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 14:151-160.

PANTALEONI, R. A., C. CESARONI, AND R. N. ALDINI. 2010. Myrmeleon mariaemathildae n. sp.: a new Mediterranean pit-building antlion (Neuropterida Myrmeleontidae). Bulletin of Insectology 63:91-98.

Figure 1 PANTALEONI, R. A., C. CESARONI, AND R. N. ALDINI. 2010. Myrmeleon mariaemathildae n. sp.: a new Mediterranean pit-building antlion (Neuropterida Myrmeleontidae). Bulletin of Insectology 63:91-98.
 * Figures**:

Figure 2 http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Natural-History/Ant-Enemies/i-VdKbT8W/1/L/Myrmeleontid1-L.jpg

Figure 3 http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/files/images/Antlion%20Pits%20copy.preview.jpg

Figure 4 http://www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Natural-History/Ant-Enemies/i-HfmCsBz/1/L/antlions13-L.jpg