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Index of Bugs
Antlions get their name because some species of antlions have larvae that feed on ants and other small insects.
Like all insects the antlion has three pairs of legs and three body parts—a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The legs and the wings in the adult are attached to the thorax.
Antlions go through complete metamorphosis. Once the antlion hatches from its egg, the larva digs a small pit. Some antlion larvae live at the bottom of these cone-shaped pits. Antlion pits can be found in sheltered, sandy areas worldwide. When an antlion larva looks for a place to dig its pit, it moves across the surface of the sand and under the sand with backward movements. It leaves a trail in the sand as if someone is making a design. That is why antlions are also called doodlebugs.
Adult antlions are mostly active at night. After mating, the female lays her eggs in sand or soil.
You might see the antlion’s jaws sticking out at the bottom point of the
funnel if you look with a magnifying glass. The larvae are called sit-and-wait
predators. They use their jaws to capture ants or other small insects that
fall into their pits. They protect themselves by staying hidden under the sand.
When the antlion larva is about 1 cm long, it makes a silken cocoon around itself, covered with sand grains. Inside the cocoon, the antlion goes through its pupal stage. Adult antlions emerge from their cocoons. The adults resemble dragonfly adults. They have four transparent wings with a netlike pattern of veins. For this reason the adult antlions are also called lacewings.
To learn more about antlions and to see them in action, order the Backyard Bugs DVD.
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