Distoleon tetragrammicus

Distoleon tetragrammicus
Adult of Distoleon tetragrammicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Neuroptera
Suborder: Myrmeleontiformia
Superfamily: Myrmeleontoidea
Family: Myrmeleontidae
Subfamily: Myrmeleontinae
Genus: Distoleon
Species: D. tetragrammicus
Binomial name
Distoleon tetragrammicus
(Fabricius, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Formicaleon tetragrammicus (Fabricius, 1798)
  • Myrmeleon tetragrammicum Fabricius, 1798

Distoleon tetragrammicus is a species of antlion in the family Myrmeleontidae.[1][2][3]

Distribution

Distoleon tetragrammicus is widespread in the western Palaearctic ecozone and it is present in most of Southern Europe and in North Africa.[4][5]

Habitat

This species can be found in a wide range of habitats, from coastal dunes to mountain forests, mainly in arid and sandy areas, in oak and pine forests and in various calcareous wasteland with minimum moisture. The larvae avoid exposed sites as coastal dunes.[6]

Description

Larva of Distoleon tetragrammicus

The adults of Distoleon tetragrammicus greatly resemble dragonflies or damselflies. They have a wingspan of about 75 millimetres (3.0 in). The front wing can reach a width of 26–40 millimetres (1.0–1.6 in).[6] They have thick, prominent, apically clubbed antennae, a long, narrow abdomen and two pairs of long, transparent, multiveined wings, with some brown and opaque spots.[7] This species is sometimes confused with Myrmeleon formicarius.

The larvae do not look anything like adults. The length of a fully grown larva is typically 12–22 millimetres (0.47–0.87 in).[8][9] The basic body color is dark brown with darker markings. The head is dark brown. The strong dark brown mandibles do not show long bristles outside the margins. Pronotum is covered by large black setae and short bristles. The dorsal side of abdomen has a series of circular markings and a characteristic dorsal median stripe. Mesothoracic and abdominal spiracles are brown. Legs may be yellowish or whitish.[4]

Biology

The lifecycle of Distoleon tetragrammicus

The adults of Distoleon tetragrammicus appear in the middle of the summer and fly from June to August.[6] They are attracted to light. The life cycle begins with oviposition of the female into the sand. Larvae of this species don't build craters or pit traps. They live buried in dry ground and may be errant. They are voracious predators, feding on small insects and other small arthropods that they catch with their powerful jaws. After one year larva retreats into a cocoon and make the metamorphosis into adult.[10]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Biolib
  2. ↑ V.A. Krivokhatsky Catalogue of antlion collection (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae)
  3. ↑ Catalogue of life
  4. 1 2 BADANO D. & PANTALEONI R. A., 2014. – The larvae of European Myrmeleontida
  5. ↑ Fauna europaea
  6. 1 2 3 Neurotteri
  7. ↑ Hormiga león (Distoleon tetragrammicus) - Institut d'Estudis Catalans
  8. ↑ Acevedo F, Monserrat VJ, Badano D. Comparative description of larvae of the European species of Distoleon Banks: D. annulatus (Klug, 1834) and D. tetragrammicus (Fabricius, 1798) (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae).
  9. ↑ Le monde des insectes
  10. ↑ Satar et al. Rearing the larval stages of Distoleon tetragrammicus (Fabricius, 1798) (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) from egg to adult, with notes on their behaviour Zootaxa 1371, s. 57–64, 2006
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