top of page

Antlions & Owlflies of Zihuatanejo

FAMILY MYRMELEONTIDAE

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Antlions, Lacewings, and Allies (Order Neuroptera)

-Antlions, Owlflies, and Allies (Suborder Myrmeleontiformia)

-Antlions, Owlflies, and Allies (Superfamily Myrmeleontoidea)

-Antlions and Owlflies (Family Myrmeleontidae)

Family Myrmeleontidae comprises the antlions, a diverse family of insects in the order Neuroptera, which also includes lacewings and owlflies. Members of Myrmeleontidae are best known for their predatory larvae, many of which excavate conical sand pits to trap ants and other small arthropods. When prey falls into the pit, the larva uses its large, sickle-shaped jaws to seize and consume it. Adult antlions are delicate insects with elongated bodies, clubbed antennae, and two pairs of intricately veined wings, resembling damselflies but unrelated to them. They are typically active at dusk or night and feed little, if at all, during adulthood.

bottom of page