Family Myrmeleontidae - Antlions including Owlflies

Doodlebugs (larvae, esp. Myrmeleon)

Antlion lacewings

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Key by Banks (1927).(1)

Myrmeleontidae Latreille 1802

~100 spp. in 22 genera in our area(2)(3)

adult body length 40-80 mm

Most of the typical antlions have antennae that are fairly short (about the length of the head and thorax combined) and either clubbed or curved (somewhat like a field hockey stick). Wings are transparent and in many genera mottled with black or brown pigmentation.

Owlflies are a specialized subfamily of antlion that have much longer, strongly clubbed antennae and larger, bulging eyes.

They live in tiny, conical pits or craters in the ground in dry or sandy areas. These pits are about 1.5-2" wide and 1-2" deep with sharply slanting sides. (4)

Larvae are voracious predators that lie in wait for their insect prey, though different genera have different modes of predation. Myrmeleon spp. (often known as "doodlebugs") are most frequently noticed and are the only genus in our area to dig a shallow, funnel-shaped pit in loose sand to trap prey. Members of some other genera such as Glenurus and Dendroleon aren't even found in the sand and instead live in tree holes as ambush predators.(5)

adults mostly nocturnal or crepuscular and may come to lights

Banks N. (1943) New Neuroptera and Trichoptera from the United States. Psyche 50: 74-81 (Full text)