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The larvae of European Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera)
Abstract and Figures
The larvae of the European Myrmeleontidae are reviewed with the aim to ease their identification, covering 15 genera and 28 species. Diagnostic characters and illustrations are given for each taxon. Larvae of the genera Nemoleon and Macronemurus are described for the first time while Megistopus, Neuroleon and Myrmeleon are revised. The larvae of Dendroleon pantherinus (Fabricius), Macronemurus appendiculatus (Latreille), Megistopus lucasi (Navás), Nemoleon notatus (Rambur), Neuroleon arenarius (Navás), Neuroleon assimilis (Navás), Neuroleon nemausiensis (Borkhausen), Cueta lineosa (Rambur) and Myrmeleon gerlindae (Hölzel) are described or accurately depicted for the first time.
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... All antlion larvae are predators, primarily preying on ants and, to a lesser extent, other arthropods. They are well-known for their distinctive behavior, employing ambush hunting and constructing pitfall traps (MILLER & STANGE, 1985;STANGE, 2004;BADANO & PANTALEONI, 2014). The larvae of many antlion species construct conical pits in sand or fine soil. ...
... Cav. The larva was identified, and its instar determined using the keys provided by BADANO & PANTALEONI (2014). New examined material: Three larvae at different instar stages were found at three separate locations: 1 3rd instar larva → 1♀ on 28.03.2024 ...
... Nearby vegetation included scattered herbaceous plants and Halimium halimifolium shurbs. We identified the larval instars and determined their stages using the keys provided by BADANO & PANTALEONI (2014). ...
This study represents the first comprehensive survey of antlions (Myrmeleontidae) in Doñana National Park, conducted across 58 sampling locations during two field seasons (April–June 2023 and March–July 2024). A total of 12 species from 9 genera were identified, with 406 larval-stage specimens collected, of which 295 successfully emerged as adults (201 females and 94 males, including 28 imagos captured directly in the field). The altitudes of collection sites ranged from 2 to 38 meters above sea level, reflecting the diverse landscapes of the park. These findings enhance knowledge of the region’s biodiversity. Notably, this research documents the first occurrences of Distoleon tetragrammicus and Neuroleon ocreatus in Huelva Province, expanding their known distribution ranges. Our results highlight shrublands and grasslands as key habitats for antlion colonization, offering critical resources such as shelter and abundant prey. These biotopes provide optimal conditions for larval development due to fine soil textures and high prey availability. While most species occupied distinct ecological niches, Myrmeleon hyalinus, M. almohadarum, and M. gerlindae were observed coexisting in different biotopes, with spatial segregation driven by ecological requirements and competition. This study establishes a foundational species inventory for Doñana National Park and underscores the importance of continued monitoring to assess ecological dynamics and species interactions. Future research should focus on resource competition, habitat preferences, and the impacts of environmental changes to further understand Myrmeleontidae adaptation and biodiversity within this protected area.
... (A): Bruco di Brithys crini che si nutre delle foglie di Pancratium maritimum sulle dune presso la foce del F. Simeto (foto: I. Sparacio); (B): Brachytrupes megacephalus sulla spiaggia di Marina di Modica (foto: T. Puma); (C): Eurynebria complanata a Eraclea Minoa (foto: C. 'entomofauna di tutta la fascia eulitorale, dove vivono specie estremamente interessanti e vulnerabili, come Stenostoma rostratum septentrionale Švihla, 2005, coleottero edemeride che vive sui fiori di alcune ombrellifere dunicole (Echinophora ed Eryngium), Olpium pallipes (H. Lucas, 1849) pseudoscorpione psammoalofilo, il Neurottero Myrmeleontidae Synclisis baetica (Rambur, 1842), le cui larve sono attive predatrici che si nascondono alla base delle piante psammofile(Badano & Pantaleoni, 2014), o ancora diversi Eterotteri fitofagi strettamente legati a piante psammofile, come Graphosoma semipunctatum (Fabricius, 1775) su Crithmum maritimum(Fig. 11A), Platycranus putoni Reuter 1879 su Retama raetam subsp. ...
Questo contributo mira non solo a denunciare l'estre-mo degrado di buona parte degli ecosistemi dunali della Si-cilia, ma anche a suggerire strategie efficaci per una corretta salvaguardia e gestione sostenibile di ciò che ne rimane. Il paesaggio dei litorali sabbiosi è il frutto del complesso e delicato equilibrio dinamico fra i processi di erosione e di-sgregazione delle rocce, il trasporto dei sedimenti e il moto ondoso marino. In queste dinamiche sono coinvolte sia le rocce presenti nei bacini idrografici che insistono sul tratto di costa (i cui clasti, frutto dei processi erosivi nell'entroter-ra, vengono trasportati in mare dai corsi d'acqua), sia quelle che formano i rilievi costieri. In particolare, va rimarcato che anche i sedimenti prodotti dal rimaneggiamento delle coste rocciose (falesie, terrazzi marini, ecc.) contribuiscono in modo significativo ad alimentare le spiagge. La prima parte della spiaggia emersa, compresa tra il livello minimo e massimo della marea, è la zona intertidale chiamata anche 'zona afitoica' , ossia priva di piante. Questa fascia è caratte-rizzata da un'elevata salinità e da un costante rimaneggia-mento, rimescolamento e spostamento della sabbia. Seb-bene lo stress salino e l'intenso dinamismo impediscano l'instaurarsi di comunità vegetali, questo ambito costiero è popolato da molti animali (detritivori e predatori) capaci di sfruttarne le caratteristiche. In condizioni naturali le spiagge ospitano un mosaico di ecosistemi che si avvicendano al variare della distanza rispetto alla linea di costa e a seconda della direzione preva-lente del moto ondoso marino, della marea e dei venti. Ciò fa sì che nell'arco di poche decine di metri si possa osservare l'alternarsi di comunità che tendono a formare delle cinture di vegetazione parallele rispetto alla linea di costa (Fig. 1). L'ultima spiaggia. Il declino degli ecosistemi dunali della Sicilia negli ultimi 50 anni The last beach. The decline of Sicily's dune ecosystems over the last 50 years Figura 1. Schema di sistema dunale (da Marcenò et al., 2018, modif.) e collocazione topografica degli habitat costieri d'interesse comu-nitario (cfr. Tab. 1).
... When further information on the location wasn't available, the specimen was plotted in the city council of the municipality where it was collected. The terminology for larval morphology follows Badano & Pantaleoni (2014) and Henry (1976), while for the adult the vertex rows and general morphology follow Stange (1970), wing venation follows Breitkreuz et al. (2017) and terminalia follows mainly Stange (1970), with adaptations from Tavares et al. (2023a) and Machado & Oswald (2020). The measurements were taken with calipers for the adults, mearing the wing length of the anterior wing (AW) and the body length excluding the antennae (BL). ...
Argentoleon irrigatus (Gerstaecker), is a common antlion species, but with sparse figures and incomplete location records in the literature, whose genitalia and larvae remained undescribed. Herein, the adults are redescribed and immatures (larvae and pupa) are described for the first time, providing images of internal and external characters, including both male and female genitalia. The examination and illustration of these characters allowed us to better understand the position and the limits of the genus Argentoleon Stange, within the tribe Brachynemurini, including the differentiation of the larval stages of the closely related genus Austroleon Banks. Additionally, the distribution of Ar. irrigatus is updated and a map is elaborated, resulting in seven new state records for Brazil and a new country record from Colombia. Some biological aspects are also analyzed, regarding rearing in captivity and natural habitat, providing resources for future ecologic and biogeographical analyses. Furthermore, we analyzed the type specimens of the extensive synonymic list of Ar. irrigatus concluding that Austroleon stictogaster Navás, is in fact a synonym of Austroleon immitis (Walker), and not of Ar. irrigatus as currently accepted. Overall, a full taxonomic actualization of Ar. irrigatus is presented.
... Neuroptera (lacewings) currently comprise approximately 6,600 extant species and nearly 1,000 extinct species (Oswald, 2023). For holometabolous insects like neuropterans, the larval stages occupy the most time in their whole life cycles (Aspöck & Aspöck, 1999), and the larvae also display more remarkable morphological characters and significant ecological adaptations compared to their adults (Zwick, 1967;Tauber et al., 2009;Beutel et al., 2010;Badano & Pantaleoni, 2014;Tauber et al., 2014;Badano et al., 2017;Engel et al., 2018;Jandausch et al., 2019;Snyman et al., 2020;Li et al., 2022). For instance, the adults of Neuroptera collectively inhabit terrestrial habitats, however, aquatic or semi-aquatic habits are retained in Osmyloidea, including Nevrorthidae, Sisyridae and Osmylidae . ...
Neuroptera, as a small relic group of Insecta undergoing a rapid species diversification during the Mesozoic Era, is known by diverse extinct endemic lineages preserved as impression fossils and in amber. The current understanding of Mesozoic neuropterans′ diversity has mainly focused on the adults, because the contemporaneous larvae have been fairly rare especially for the Jurassic lacewings. Herein, a new giant lacewing larva, Natator giganteus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Beds of China. The remarkable larva is characterized by its impressively large body size, distinctively elongated cervix, and presence of swimming hairs on legs, which provide direct evidence to reveal an aquatic habit for the Jurassic lacewing larva. The morphological analysis indicates this giant larva would have probably inhabited the benthic environments of Jurassic montane rivers and streams. In addition, its morphological specialization suggests that it might have adopted an ambush predation strategy to catch its prey. The finding enhances our knowledge of the species diversity and morphological plasticity for the Jurassic lacewing larvae, and reveals that the aquatic lineages of Neuroptera exhibited dramatically structural and ecological convergence across the evolutionary process.
... Las larvas de esta familia, conocidas con el nombre de hormigas león, poseen cuerpo ovoide, cabeza aplanada y mandíbulas largas y curvadas armadas de dientes, mientras que los adultos poseen alas y abdomen alargados y antenas cortas acabadas en maza. Tanto las larvas como los adultos son depredadores de otros artrópodos, y son especialmente conocidos los conos de caza que construyen los estadios larvarios de algunas especies en sustratos arenosos (Badano & Pantaleoni, 2014). ...
Se aportan nuevos datos sobre cuatro especies del género Neuroleon Navás, 1909 (Insecta, Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae) en Navarra. Tres de de ellas se citan por primera vez en la Comunidad: N. distichus (Navás, 1903), N. egenus (Navás, 1914) y N. nemausiensis (Borkhausen, 1791). Se amplía así el número de especies conocidas de la familia Myrmeleontidae en Navarra, pasando de 7 a 10 especies.
... The larvae of most dendroleontine genera are fossorial, burying themselves in shallow or thick sands and debris and are often associated with protected microhabitats, such as caves, rock overhangs, tree holes and even buildings (e.g. Bullanga Navás, 1917, Cymothales Gerstaecker, 1893, Dendroleon Brauer, 1866, Epacanthaclisis Okamoto, 1910, Froggattisca Esben-Petersen, 1915, Tricholeon Esben-Petersen, 1925 (Mansell 1987(Mansell , 1988Stange et al. 2003;Stange 2008;Stange and Miller 2012;Acevedo et al. 2014;Badano and Pantaleoni 2014a;Matsumoto et al. 2016;Machado et al. 2019;Zheng and Liu 2020). However, the Asian montane genus Nepsalus Navás, 1914, exhibits unusual larval characters and habits. ...
The antlion genera Gatzara and Nepsalus (Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae) inhabit mountain forests and are characterised by camouflaging larvae. Both genera remain poorly known despite recent findings on systematics and distribution. We report the discovery of new specimens and the previously unknown larvae of the rare species Gatzara jubilaea Navás, 1915, Nepsalus insolitus (Walker, 1860) and N. decorosus (Yang, 1988). These provide new evidence regarding the affinities of these species, and updated knowledge of the distribution, larval morphology and biology. Moreover, a new species of Nepsalus, N. maclachlani Badano, Zheng & Liu, sp. nov. is described from Sri Lanka based on historical museum collections. The discovery of the immature stages of Gatzara shows that the larvae of this genus share the same specialised ecological characteristics and habits as those of Nepsalus but are less morphologically derived. We also reconstruct a molecular phylogeny of this lineage, estimating the divergence time and biogeographical history by adding the new samples. The evolution of the Gatzara + Nepsalus lineage is associated with two major mountain ranges on the southern Tibetan Plateau, i.e. the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains.
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:68E68211-DFC1-4D98-997B-8A23BA8F9B69
... For larva diagnosis, see Badano (2013). Larva non-pit-building. ...
Six species of Creoleon Tillyard 1918 reported from India and reexamined the taxonomic status of the Creoleon species described from India and Sri Lanka. Creoleon parallelus syn. nov. Creoleon littoreus syn. nov. and Creoleon fulvinervis Navás, 1932 syn. nov. are proposed as junior synonyms of Creoleon griseus. The lectotypes of Creoleon littoreus, and Creoleon fulvinervis Navás, 1932 are designated. Creoleon cinnamomeus, reported as a new record for the fauna of India, is redescribed and illustrated based on the newly collected specimens. After this revision, Creoleon has three valid species that occur in India. The key to the species is also provided.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) have the potential to become a powerful tool for identifying regions that host unique biodiversity. With their great diversity, insects hold significant potential as indicators for global KBA mapping, even in highly specialized and narrowly distributed habitats. For instance, species adapted to fragmented ecosystems like coastal sand dunes—among the most heavily impacted habitats worldwide—can serve as critical indicators to trigger KBAs in these fragile environments. Despite their relevance as indicators, the inclusion of insects in KBA assessments remains limited, particularly for less-studied insect groups, whose distribution data is often fragmented and affected by taxonomic uncertainties. We tested selected KBA criteria on 26 antlion and owlfly species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in Italy, including dune specialists, and performed a barcode gap analysis based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial marker (COI) to identify potential misidentifications, which could compromise the robustness of KBA assessments. Several endemic and dune specialist species trigger potential KBAs, showing limited (< 20% of their extent) overlap with the current protected area network, confirming the great value of these taxa in narrowly distributed habitats. We advise for the integration of both spatial and genetic data to increase accuracy of potential Key Biodiversity Areas assessments using neglected insect taxa.
The species of the antlion tribe Myrmeleontini from Taiwan are revised. In total, nine species from two genera Baliga (2 spp.) and Myrmeleon (7 spp.) are redescribed and an identification key is provided. One new combination, B. brunneipennis (Esben-Petersen, 1913) comb. nov., and one new synonymy, M. alticolus Miller & Stange, 1999 syn. nov. = B. brunneipennis (Esben-Petersen, 1913), are proposed. Myrmeleon wangi Miller & Stange, 1999 stat. rev. is resurrected from the synonymy as a valid species under M. trivialis Gerstaecker, 1885. In addition, four species groups are proposed for Myrmeleon: the M. tenuipennis, M. littoralis, M. wangi and M. punctinervis groups. A phylogenetic analysis of the COI gene of the Taiwanese Myrmeleontini species is also provided.
Larval stages of the Mediterranean antlion species Neuroleon microstenus (McLachlan) are described and illustrated. Larvae do not build pitfall traps. They pursue prey by digging in sand backwards and waiting a prey. Second and third instar larvae move backwards or forwards on sand surface, whilst first instar larvae only forwards. Characteristic for the larvae of N. microstenus—like for other non-pit-builders—are prominent eye tubercles and sparse mandibular bristles. On the abdominal tip two bulges occur, each with four digging bristles. On the dorsal side of the head of second and third instar larvae black pigmentation occur forming “V” mark. Campaniform sensilla, sensilla coeloconica and sensilla basiconica are recognized for the first time in antlion larvae.
The Neuroleon species of sub-Saharan West Africa are reviewed. Eight species are recorded: N. drosimus Navás, N. lap-idarius nov. sp., N. modestus (Navás), N. nubilatus (Navás), N. rapax nov. sp., N. raptor nov. sp., N. pardalice (Banks), and N. ruber nov. sp. A ninth species, N. nigericus Navás, of which no specimens could be examined, is tentatively main-tained in the genus Neuroleon pending examination of the type. Three new synonymies are established. Seven species are removed from the genus Neuroleon. N. pardalice is recorded from the region for the first time. The species are illustrated and keyed.