ANTLION

any insect larva of the neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae. The oval, sandy-gray abdomen of the larva is covered with bristles; the prothorax forms a mobile neck; and the large square head has powerful, sickle-like jaws. The antlion digs a funnel-shaped pit (from 2.5 to 5 centimetres deep and 2.5 to 7.5 centimetres wide at the edge) by using its abdomen as a plow, heaping the loosened particles on its head and throwing them clear of the pit. When the pit is completed the larva buries itself so that only its jaws project. Any small insect that ventures over the edge of the sandy pit slips to the bottom and is seized by the antlion. After sucking the contents of its victim, the antlion throws the empty skin out of the pit. The larvae of certain species (e.g., the spotted-winged antlion, Dendroleon obsoletus) do not make a pitfall but seize passing prey from a hiding place. After a period of feeding and growth the larva prepares a cocoon of sand and spun silk; it emerges as a sexually mature adult. The adult antlion, a weak flier, has relatively short, clubbed antennae and four narrow, delicate, densely net-veined wings that may be marked with brown or black. Since the adult does not feed, the larva must consume sufficient food to sustain the adult. Myrmeleon formicarius, the best known of the 65 described species, occurs in both North America and Europe but not in England; it matures in late summer. In the United States the antlion is frequently known as a doodlebug.