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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Antlions, Lacewings, and Allies (Neuroptera) » Antlions and Allies (Myrmeleontiformia) » Antlions & Owlflies (Myrmeleontidae) » Giant, Long-tailed, and Pit-trapping Antlions (Myrmeleontinae) » Long-tailed Antlions (Brachynemurini) » Brachynemurus

Genus Brachynemurus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Works Cited

Brachynemurini in San Diego County - Brachynemurus sackeni - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Neuroptera (Antlions, Lacewings, and Allies)

Suborder Myrmeleontiformia (Antlions and Allies)

Family Myrmeleontidae (Antlions & Owlflies)

Subfamily Myrmeleontinae (Giant, Long-tailed, and Pit-trapping Antlions)

Tribe Brachynemurini (Long-tailed Antlions)

Genus Brachynemurus

Explanation of Names

Brachynemurus Hagen, 1888

Numbers

20 spp. in our area(1); 21 spp. total, extending into Mexico (only B. divisus is excluded from our area)(2)

examples of local faunas: 6 spp. in NC (abdominalis and longicaudis being by far the commonest)(3), 6 in FL(4), 8 in KS(5)

1. B. abdominalis: transcontinental (BC, MB, ON; AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY)

2. B. blandus: western to central (AZ, CA, CO, KS, NM, NV, TX, UT, WA, WY)

3. B. californicus: southwestern (AZ, CA)

4. B. carolinus: southeastern (FL, GA, NC)

5. B. eiseni*: southwestern (AZ, CA, NV)

6. B. elongatus: western (AZ, CA, CO, NE, NM, NV, UT)

7. B. ferox: western (BC; AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY)

8. B. fuscus: AZ

9. B. henshawi: western (CA, NV, OR)

10. B. hubbardi: western (AZ, CO, KS, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)

11. B. irregularis: central (IL, KS, NE, OK, TX)

12. B. longicaudus: eastern (FL, GA, IN, MS, NC, NJ, SC, VA)

13. B. mexicanus: southwestern (AZ, NM)

14. B. nebulosus: eastern (ON; FL, GA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, WI)

15. B. pulchellus: southwestern (AZ, CA, NV)

16. B. ramburi: southeastern (FL, GA, NC)

17. B. sackeni: western (AZ, CA, CO, KS, NE, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WY)

18. B. seminolae: southeastern (FL, NC)

19. B. signatus: primarily eastern (CO, DE, IL, KS, MI, MN, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, WI)

20. B. versutus: western (AZ, CO, NM)

* Treated as Scotoleon eiseni in the Species Catalog(2) but as Brachynemurus eiseni in the Lacewing Digital Library.(6)

Size

body 25-50 mm

Identification

Large antlions with soft, slender, long abdomen extending beyond wingtips and long, barely marked wings with fine net-like venation; spp. closely similar(7)

Wing venation

Range

Much of NA, especially south, with 8 spp. in the East and 11 in the West (B. abdominalis is the only transcontinental sp.)(1)

Habitat

Sandy areas.

Food

Adults reported to feed on small insects

Life Cycle

Adults mostly nocturnal. Larvae live in the sand and often leave conspicuous trails. They do not form pit-traps but rather chase down their prey. (8)

Works Cited

1.	Species catalog of the Neuroptera, Megaloptera, and Raphidioptera of America North of Mexico Penny N.D., Adams P.A., Stange L.A. 1997. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 50: 39‒114.

2.	Neuropterida Species of the World catalogue (by J.D. Oswald)

3.	NCSU insect collection species inventory database

4.	A Checklist and Bibliography of the Megaloptera and Neuroptera of Florida (by L. Stange)

5.	Beckemeyer R.J. Neuropterida (Neuroptera, Megaloptera and Raphidioptera) of Kansas

6.	Lacewing Digital Library

7.	Stray notes on Myrmeleontidae, Parts 4-5 H.A. Hagen. 1888. The Canadian Entomologist 20(1): 34-38, 57-69, 72-74, 93-97, 185-191, 204-211.

8.	The ant-lions of Florida. II. Genera based on larvae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) Lionel A. Stange. 1980. Entomology Circular No. 221.

Contributed by Cotinis on 31 December, 2005 - 10:17am
Additional contributions by v belov, Robert H. Biagi, PaleoJon
Last updated 22 July, 2024 - 12:01am

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