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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) » Giant Antlions (Acanthaclisini) » Vella » Vella fallax

Species Vella fallax

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Print References · Works Cited

Probably an antlion - what type? - Vella fallax - 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 Acanthaclisini (Giant Antlions)

Genus Vella

Species fallax (Vella fallax)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Vella fallax (Rambur, 1842)

V. fallax haitiensis is now treated as V. eggerti(1)

Explanation of Names

Vella fallax (Rambur, 1842)

from the Latin fallāx ('deceptive, deceitful'), the origin of the English root fallac-(2)

Numbers

1 subspecies in our area(3)(1)

V. fallax texana

Size

very large, wingspan to circa 120 mm, with tropical specimens even larger (Banks, 1927; Internet searches)

Identification

♂

♀

Range

Southwest into Neotropics. Subspecies:

V. fallax texana TX-UT-CA

Print References

Banks, Nathan (1927). Revision of the Nearctic Myrmeleonidae. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 68(1): 1-84 (BHL link)

Eaton and Kaufman, pp. 226-227 (4)

Works Cited

1.	Antlions of Hispaniola (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) R.B. Miller, L.A. Stange. 2011. Insecta Mundi 0182: 1-28.

2.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.

3.	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.

4.	Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America Eric Eaton, Kenn Kaufman. 2006. Houghton Mifflin.

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 18 August, 2006 - 4:42pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, v belov, Robert H. Biagi, PaleoJon
Last updated 27 January, 2021 - 1:35am

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