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Order Raphidioptera - Snakeflies

First, I thought Snakefly - Agulla - female Ant type bug Snakefly - Agulla Snakefly sp, female - Agulla - female female snakefly at Coyote Hills on 2020 March 20 - Agulla - female  Typical Snakefly - Agulla Raphidioptera
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Raphidioptera (Snakeflies)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
used to be treated as a suborder of Neuroptera
Explanation of Names
Raphidioptera Handlirsch 1908
Numbers
~260 extant spp. total, in two families: Raphidiidae, with 2 genera (Agulla and Alena) and 18 spp. in our area; and Inocelliidae, with 3 spp. of (Negha) in our area(1)
Identification
Snakefly larvae can be confused with campodeiform beetle larvae but lack terminal appendages

Raphidiid larvae have 7 simple eyes on each side vs 4 (incl. 2 minute ones) in Inocelliidae(2)
pupa
Adults are similar to Neuroptera but with elongate prothorax.
Females can be easily distinguished by the presence of long tail-like ovipositor (not a stinger...snakeflies are harmless to humans!)

Adults of the two families can be distinguished as follows:
ocelli present; forewing with pterostigma bisected by a veinlet =>Raphidiidae
ocelli absent; forewing pterostigma not bisected =>Inocelliidae
Inocelliidae have parallel-sided rectangular heads vs more kite-shaped in Raphidiidae (may vary somewhat):
Inocelliidae Raphidiidae
Range
In our area, western, with most spp. west of the Rockies
Habitat
All sorts of arboreal/shrub habitats (in northern temperate zone from sea level to timberline.) Inocelliidae and a part of the Raphidiidae probably develop under bark. The majority of Raphidiidae have larvae that live in superficial layers of soil, particularly in the detritus around the roots of shrubs, sometimes in rock crevices.(3)
Food
Larvae feed on eggs and larvae of various insects and on minute arthropods (e.g. mites, springtails, barklice, and homopterans). Adults typically prefer aphids. Adults of at least some species can also feed on sugary substances. They take the effort to clean themselves after feeding. Females have been observed to frequently wag the ovipositor while eating.(2)
Life Cycle
The egg stage lasts from a few days to 3 weeks; the larval phase lasts at least a year, 2‒3 yrs in most species (up to 6 under experimental conditions). The number of larval instars varies around 10–11, up to 15 or more. The prepupal stage lasts a few days. Pupation (usually) in spring, lasts from a few days to ~3 weeks. A period of low temperature (around 0°C) is needed to induce pupation.(3)
Remarks
larvae can run fast both forward and backwards ‒video
The Mesozoic diversity of the Raphidioptera was much richer(3)
See Also
(4)(5)
Print References
Aspöck H., Aspöck U., Rausch H. (1991) Die Raphidiopteren der Erde. Goecke & Evers, Krefeld. Vol. 1, 730 pp. Vol. 2, 550 pp.
Aspöck H. (1998) Distribution and biogeography of the order Raphidioptera: updated facts and a new hypothesis. Acta Zool. Fenn. 209: 33–44.
Aspöck U. (1974) Die Raphidiopteren der Nearktis (Insecta, Neuropteroidea). Dissertation. Univ. Wien 1974: 1‒238.
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
2.Revision of the Nearctic Raphidiodea (recent and fossil)
Carpenter F.M. 1936. Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 71: 89‒157.
3.The biology of Raphidioptera: A review of present knowledge
Aspöck H. 2002. Acta Zool. Acad. Sci. Hung. 48 (Suppl. 2): 35–50.
4.The Raphidioptera of the World: A review of the present knowledge
Aspöck H. 1986. Recent Research in Neuroptology: 15–29.
5.The present state of knowledge on the Raphidioptera of America (Insecta: Neuropteroidea)
Aspöck U. 1975. Polskie Pismo ent. 45: 537–546.