| Owlflies Fossil range: Late Jurassic - Recent |
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 Male Ascalaphus libelluloides
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Owlflies are dragonfly-like insects with large bulging eyes and long knobbed antennae. The Late Jurassic (or Malm) Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161 Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " The subphylum Hexapoda (from the Greek for six legs) constitutes the largest (in terms of number of species grouping of Arthropods and includes the Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Pterygota is a subclass of Insects that includes the winged insects Neoptera is a classification group that includes almost all the winged Insects specifically those that can flex their wings over their abdomens The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are Insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive Larval Pupal The Neuropterida are a Clade of Holometabolous Insects Well-known members are the Lacewings Antlions and Dobsonflies For the obsolete concept of the Neuroptera including Alderflies, Dobsonflies, Fishflies and Snakeflies, see Neuropterida. In Biological classification, family ( Latin Anisoptera redirects here For the genus of trees see Anisoptera (tree. Antennae (singular antenna) are paired Appendages connected to the front-most segments of Arthropods In Crustaceans they are They are not true flies, but rather neuropterans in the family Ascalaphidae, and as such are not closely related to the true flies at all. True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of For the obsolete concept of the Neuroptera including Alderflies, Dobsonflies, Fishflies and Snakeflies, see Neuropterida.
Owlflies are readily distinguished from dragonflies because the latter have short bristle-like antennae. The closely related ant-lions, family Myrmeleontidae, have short, clubbed antennae, smaller eyes, and very different wing venation[1]. Antlions are a family of Insects in the order Neuroptera with the Scientific name Myrmeleontidae (sometimes misspelled as The sole living member of the subfamily Albardiinae, the Brazilian Albardia furcata, also has short, clubbed antennae, but its typical reticulate ascalaphid ^wing venation demonstrates its actual relationships.
Ecology
Adult owlflies are aerial predators feeding on other insects. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described When disturbed, some owlflies will release a strong, musk-like, chemical to deter an enemy. Adults of many New World species are most active at sunset and dawn and can often be collected around lights. During the day, such adults rest on stems and twigs with the body, legs, and antennae pressed to the stem. The abdomen in a few species is held up, projecting into the air, to look like a broken twig. Many Old World species, however, are most active during the day, and are brightly colored - many even hold their wings spread at rest like dragonflies. Most owlflies average about 2 inches in length. Adult Ululodes have large divided eyes, which is where the common name "Owlfly" came from, in addition to their crepuscular habits. Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during Twilight, hence at Dawn and at Dusk. Owlflies are worldwide in distribution, though in North America they are primarily southerly. [2]
Eggs are laid on twigs or under stones. Larvae are predatory, and lie on the ground or in vegetation, covered with debris, waiting for prey. In Roman mythology, the larvae or lemures (singular lemur) were the spectres or spirits of the dead they were the malignant version of the Larvae resemble those of ant-lions, but have a "finger-like appendage" on the side of each segment. Some genera actively cement sand and debris onto their bodies as camouflage. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism Pupation occurs in a spheroidal silk cocoon in leaf litter. A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation [3]
Systematics
The owlflies are most closely related to the antlions (Myrmeleontidae) and the prehistoric Babinskaiidae, and these three make up the most advanced group of Neuroptera. Antlions are a family of Insects in the order Neuroptera with the Scientific name Myrmeleontidae (sometimes misspelled as In addition to the three subfamilies, the genus Cordulecerus is of undetermined placement. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The Albardiinae may well be the basalmost living lineage of owlflies, and arguably Albardia furcata might be placed in the Ascalaphidae without a subfamily to denote this. [4]
On the other hand, the owlflies are an ancient group, dating back to the mid-Mesozoic at least. The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. A number of fossil owlflies and owlfly larvae have been found, often encased in amber. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Amber is Fossil tree Resin, which is appreciated for its color and beauty Most of these also cannot be placed in a particular subfamily. Most are known from the Oligocene; the Late Jurassic Mesascalaphus may be an entirely more basal member of the family. The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene period and extends from about 33 The Late Jurassic (or Malm) Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161 In Phylogenetics, a basal Clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade it appears at the base of a cladogram Fossil owlfly genera incertae sedis include:[5]
- Ascaloptynx
- Borgia
- Mesascalaphus
- Neadelphus
- Prosuhpalacsa
- Ricartus
Cratopteryx is probably a member of the Myrmeleontoidea and being of Early Cretaceous age would possibly belong in some named family of these. Incertae sedis ( Latin for "of uncertain placement" abbreviated "inc The Early Cretaceous ( timestratigraphic name or the Lower Cretaceous ( logstratigraphic name is the earlier of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous Sometimes assigned to the Ascalaphidae, it is better considered incertae sedis however. [5]
Footnotes
References
- BugGuide. net (2006): Family Ascalaphidae - Owlflies. Version of 2006-SEP-19. Retrieved 2008-APR-24.
- Engel, Michael S. & Grimaldi, David A. (2007): The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera). American Museum Novitates 3587: 1-58. PDF fulltext
- Foltz, John L. (2004): ENY 3005 Family Identification - Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae. Version of 2004-AUG-10. Retrieved 2008-APR-24.
- Haaramo, Mikko (2008): Mikko's Phylogeny Archive: Neuroptera. Mikko's Phylogeny Archive is an amateur paleontology website maintained by Mikko Haaramo a student at the University of Helsinki 's Department of Geology Division of Geology Version of 2008-MAR-11. Retrieved 2008-APR-27.
- Saad, Brooke & Lindsey, Pickens (2004): Ululodes quadrimaculatus, "Owlfly". Retrieved 2008-APR-24.
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