Antlion
(three
photos)
"doodlebugs"
Adult Myrmeleontidae
Genus Scotoleon

I disturbed this
insect as I was hunting insects in the brush on Antelope
Island and
saw it fly to another part of the plant and I thought it
didn't quite fly like a dragonfly, so I went over to check
it
out.
I thought at first it was a Mantidfly but it was too pretty
to be one
of
those. For some reason, Antlion came to mind, although
I've never
seen an adult in real life. © Carol Davis, 6-23-2009

These insects
are
scary-looking predators as nymphs and in most of Utah dig a
hole in
sand like an funnel
into which insects, like ants, fall into and are then
grabbed by
enormous pincers and eaten. It's ironic that
the adult is so beautiful and feeds on nectar and
pollen. The
beautiful eyes remind me of a dragonfly
yet the dragonfly antennae are much different. ©
Carol Davis, 6-23-2009

Take a look at the beautiful wing structure. The
brownish
coloring
showing through the wings is the skinny little
body of this insect. Looks like a stick. I hope
to
see one of these again. It was very cooperative and
let me take
its picture to my heart's content. If you have
never seen
an Antlion nymph or know little about these strange
creatures, I encourage you to read more about them
at The
Antlion Pit,
provided by Mark Swanson.
© Carol Davis, 6-23-2009
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