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Species identification follows unpublished revision to the genus by Oswald & Jones.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
