Destroyer

Lore & Background

The exact meaning of the name "antlion" is uncertain. It has been thought to refer to ants forming a large percentage of the prey of the insect, the suffix "lion" merely suggesting "destroyer" or "hunter". In any case, the term seems to go back to classical antiquity. The antlion larva is often called a "doodlebug" in North America because of the odd winding, spiralling trails it leaves in the sand while relocating, which look as if someone has been doodling. The scientific name of the type genus Myrmeleon – and thus, the family as a whole – is presumably derived from Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (múrmex), meaning "ant" λέων (léon), meaning "lion", in a loan translation of the names common across Europe. In most European and Middle Eastern languages, at least the larvae are known under the local term corresponding to "antlion".

In Their Own Story

Antlions have a worldwide distribution. The greatest diversity occurs in the tropics, but a few species are found in cold-temperate locations, one such being the European Euroleon nostras. They most commonly occur in dry and sandy habitats where the larvae can easily excavate their pits, but some larvae hide under debris or ambush their prey among leaf litter. Antlions are poorly represented in the fossil record. Myrmeleontiformia is generally accepted to be a monophyletic group, and within the Myrmeleontoidea, the antlions' closest living relatives are thought to be the owlflies (Ascalaphidae). A 2019 study finds Myrmeleontidae to be monophyletic, aside from Stilbopteryginae and Palparinae, which form separate clades closer to Ascalaphidae. The predatory actions of the larvae have attracted attention throughout history and antlions have been mentioned in literature since classical times.

Reader's Guide

Antlion larvae eat small arthropods – mainly ants – while the adults of some species eat pollen and nectar, and others are predators of small arthropods. In certain species of Myrmeleontidae, such as Dendroleon pantherinus, the larva, although resembling that of Myrmeleon structurally, makes no pitfall trap, but hides in detritus in a hole in a tree and seizes passing prey. In Japan, Gatzara jezoensis larvae lurk on the surface of rocks for several years while awaiting prey; during this time they often become coated with lichen, and have been recorded at densities of up to 344 per square metre. The larva is a voracious predator. Within a few minutes of seizing its prey with its jaws and injecting it with venom and enzymes, it begins to suck out the digestion products. The larva is extremely sensitive to ground vibrations, the low-frequency sounds made by an insect crawling across the ground; the larva locates the source of the vibrations by the differences in timing of the arrival of waves detected by receptors, tufts of hairs on the sides of the two hindmost thoracic segments. Funnel-shaped pits are built by members of just 3 antlion tribes: Myrmeleontini, Myrmecaelurini, and Nesoleontini. In these trap-building species, an average-sized larva digs a pit about 2 in (5 cm) deep and 3 in (7.5 cm) wide at the edge. When the pit is completed, the larva settles down at the bottom, buried in the soil with only the jaws projecting above the surface, often in a wide-opened position on either side of the very tip of the cone.

Did You Know?

• Antlion larvae are unusual among insects in lacking an anus; all metabolic waste generated during the larval stage is stored, some used to spin silk for the cocoon, and the rest voided as meconium at the end of its pupal stage.
• The antlion larva is often called a 'doodlebug' in North America because of the odd winding, spiralling trails it leaves in the sand while relocating.
• Antlions exhibit the greatest disparity in size between larva and adult of any type of holometabolous insect, because the adult's exoskeleton is extremely thin and flimsy with exceptionally low density.
• The African genus Palpares contains some of the largest antlion examples, with wingspans ranging from 2 to 15 cm (0.8 to 5.9 in).
• In Japan, Gatzara jezoensis larvae lurk on the surface of rocks for several years while awaiting prey, often becoming coated with lichen, and have been recorded at densities of up to 344 per square metre.