Question

MAKE A 6 POWER POINT SLIDES FOR THIS AND EXPLAINING:

What is the classification and history Antlion larva?

What is the significance of Antlion larva and how does it relate to science, environment, or health?

Is it pathogenic? If so, what does it cause and what is the treatment? Who does it affect and What part of the world is it found in?

Is there anything about Antlion larva that makes it unique and interesting?

REFERENCE

Answer 1

classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Clade:	Euarthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Neuroptera
Superfamily:	Myrmeleontoidea
Family:	Myrmeleontidae

• Antlion is a name applied to a group of about 2,000 species of insects belonging to family Myrmeleontidae . The most recognized genus is Myrmeleon ("antlion").
• the term "antlion" applies to the larval form and called "antlion lacewings" for adults.
• The antilon larvae have few characters like odd winding, spiralling trails it leaves in the sand while looking for a good location to build its trap, as these trails look as if someone has doodled in the sand, so also called "doodlebug"
• In adult form(antlion lacewings ) they may grow upto 4cm in length.
• Antlions are cosmopolitan in distribution,but most common in arid and sandy habitats. Some species also occur in cold-temperate regions e.g. Euroleon nostras,
• Antlion feed on small arthropods,mainly ants. while adults of few species feeds on pollen and nectar

History

• The closest living relatives of antlions are the owlflies (Ascalaphidae). Babinskaiidae (extinct), is also known fossils, were also very closely related.
• These are closest derived lineages of the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea.
• Antlion insect lion hatchlings are sit-and-hold up predators that catch arthropod prey in sand pits. larvae go through three phases and , may endure for 2 year long, so overlapping generations occur in populations.
• Third-instar hatchlings shape sand cocoons furthermore, exist as pupae for roughly 28 days . After development, grown-up females lays eggs in the sand. Grown-ups live around 1 month. In eastern North America, the subterranean insect lion M. immaculatus
• Ant lion larvae are sit-and-wait predators that capture arthropod common in sheltered,sandy microhabitats, which support dense larval aggregations.

2

• The he larval stages are beneficial to man because of their diet. Larvae are well-known for feeding on ants.
• Large Ant Lion become quite capable of capturing and killing a variety of other insects that enter their sand traps.
• Ant Lion larvae have also been reported to feed on the dreaded red imported fire ant. Ant Lion larvae also feed on small spiders.
• like other organisms they contribute to ecosystem, as they are not pests
• they are garden feeders and feed on various garden pests ranging from lice to plant hoopers

3

• they are not pathogenic...

4

• Unique in the insect world for their extremely sedentary predatory behavior, pit-abiding, larval antlions burrow pits, and afterward sit at the base and pause, sometimes for months, for prey to fall inside. This stationary predation technique, joined with their apparently natural capacity to recognize moving toward prey, make antlions unlike candidate for learning.
• After a period of feeding and growth the larva prepares a cocoon of sand and spun silk in which it will transform into a sexually mature adult. The adult antlion is a weak flier and 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.