Antlion (Heoclisis fundata)

Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs InsectsAntlion (Heoclisis fundata) Ants (Formicidae) Bees Beetles Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Diptera Dragonflies Orthoptera True Bugs (Heteroptera) Wasps

The large Antlion pictured here (also known as the Antlion Lacewing or the Hairy Antlion), belong to the family Myrmeleontidae, that commonly describe a group known as Antlions and Owlflies. This is the adult form of the Antlion, which is very different to the Antlion Larva.

It is thought that this Antlion is the species Heoclisis fundata (family Myrmeleontidae).

The genus Heoclisis a group of cave-dwelling antlions, that was first described by Longinos Navás in 1923. Miller and Stange (2012) describe them as not being true cave-dwelling antlions, because not all life stages are confined to caves.

The adult Antlions have elongated bodies and two pairs of long, transparent-like wings. Although they bear a resemblance to damselflies, they are distinguished by their clubbed antennae.

There are thought to be 2,000 species of antlion world-wide, with the greatest diversity of species found in warmer areas. Whilst the term “antlion” conjures up the well known species in which the larvae dig pits to capture their prey, not all species do this.

The Antlion Larva is known as an ambush predator. These larval Antlion are plump, flattened and have an oval-shaped body, with large, sickle-shaped pincers. They create a cone-shaped pit in sandy loose soil and often lay concealed at the bottom of the cone waiting for small insects to tumble down into the cone. When they walk about on the sandy surface, they often leave meandering patterns.

The adult Antlion (Antlion Lacewing) feed on nectar and pollen.

The Antlion pictured here was approximately 5 cm in length from the tip of the wings to the tip of the antennae. It was photographed on an outside garden shade cloth in early April, here in Alice Springs.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Subphylum: Hexapoda
• Class: Insecta
• Informal: Pterygotes
• Order: Neuroptera
• Superfamily: Myrmeleontoidea
• Family: Myrmeleontidae
• Subfamily: Myrmeleontinae
• Tribe: Acanthaclisina
• Genus: Heoclisis
• Species: Heoclisis fundata

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Alice Springs InsectsAntlion (Heoclisis fundata) Ants (Formicidae) Bees Beetles Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Diptera Dragonflies Orthoptera True Bugs (Heteroptera) Wasps

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