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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Antlions, Lacewings, and Allies (Neuroptera) » Antlions and Allies (Myrmeleontiformia) » Antlions & Owlflies (Myrmeleontidae) » Owlflies (Ascalaphinae) » Split-eyed Owlflies (Ululodes)

Genus Ululodes - Split-eyed Owlflies

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · Works Cited

Four-spotted Owlfly - Ululodes quadripunctatus - female

Four-spotted Owlfly - Ululodes quadripunctatus - male

Interesting Eyes - Ululodes macleayanus - 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 Ascalaphinae (Owlflies)

Genus Ululodes (Split-eyed Owlflies)

Explanation of Names

Ululodes Smith 1900

from Ulula Rambur, 1842 (an owlfly genus-group name) + Greek suffix -ειδής (-odes) 'resembling'

from the Latin ulula ('screech owl')

Numbers

7 spp. in our area(1) (and comments by J.R. Jones)

1. Ululodes arizonensis Banks, 1907: AZ

2. Ululodes bicolor (Banks, 1895): AZ, CA; records from LA, TX in older literature correspond to separate species (e.g. U. floridanus)

3. Ululodes floridanus (Banks, 1906): AL, FL, GA, LA, NC, SC, TX

4. Ululodes macleayanus (Guilding, 1825): AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, KS, LA, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OK, SC, TX

5. Ululodes mexicanus (McLachlan, 1871): AZ, CA, NM, NV, w. TX, UT

6. Ululodes nigripes Banks, 1943: TX

7. Ululodes quadripunctatus (Burmeister, 1839): widespread, especially eastern (ON; AL, AR, AZ, DC, DE, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV)

Identification

The eyes being divided (or "split") distinguishes this from all other owlfly genera in our area.(2)

In U. quadripunctatus, at least, apparently only male hindwings are stalked(3); female wings are not stalked.

Overview of Species

Species identification follows unpublished revision to the genus by Oswald & Jones. Earlier keys such as that in (4) are rendered inadequate under this revision.

fore and hind pterostigmas both dark: U. arizonensis (western, wings distinctively pigmented), U. macleayanus (eastern: widespread), U. mexicanus (western, wings unpigmented), U. nigripes (TX)

fore pterostigmas pale and hind dark: U. bicolor (western), U. floridanus (eastern)

fore and hind pterostigmas both pale: U. quadripunctatus

U. arizonensis U. bicolor U. floridanus U. macleayanus

U. mexicanus U. nigripes U. quadripunctatus

Range

transcontinental (WI‒ON‒MA to FL‒TX‒CA)

Remarks

Our only representative of split-eyed antlion (tribes Ululodini and Ascalaphini), that together contain ~340 spp. worldwide

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.	Owlflies are derived antlions: anchored phylogenomics supports a new phylogeny and classification of Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera)

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

4.	The biosystematics of the Nearctic Ascalaphidae (Insecta: Neuropteroidea: Planipennia), with notes on biology and morphology David John Shetlar. 1977. Ph.D. dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.

Contributed by Cotinis on 7 June, 2004 - 3:52pm
Additional contributions by v belov, Harsi S. Parker, PaleoJon
Last updated 5 July, 2024 - 5:53pm

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