Nemopteridae
Appearance
Nemopteridae Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
![]() | |
Nemoptera sp. - Muséum of Toulouse | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Neuroptera |
Superfamily: | Myrmeleontoidea |
Family: | Nemopteridae Burmeister 1839 |
Subfamilies | |
Spoonwings or Nemopteridae are a family of neuropteran insects. They are also called thread-winged antlions. They are found in the Ethiopian, Palearctic, Australasian and Neotropical realms but absent in North America (though a fossil has been found in Colorado).[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Chasmoptera_hutti_%2845962054442%29.jpg/170px-Chasmoptera_hutti_%2845962054442%29.jpg)
Their flight is delicate and they have a circling flight to avoid walls when they are trapped indoors. The long streamer is conspicuous when the insects are flying and these are the elongated and spatulate hindwings.
Male Nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse pheromone.[1]
Taxonomy
There are two distinct subfamilies in the family Nemopteridae:
- Crocinae, mostly nocturnal and crepuscular species with often a narrow habitat preference. They are found in arid desert zones and have a wide distribution along the southern fringes of the west Palearctic and Western Asia, as well as in dry Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australian areas. Includes the following genera:
- Nemopterinae, diurnal, with a greater diversity. Genera include:
Other Nemopteridae genera include
- Barbibucca
- Brevistoma
- Chasmoptera
- Derhynchia
- Halter
- Halterina
- Knersvlaktia
- Lertha
- Nemeura
- Nemia
- Nemopistha
- Nemoptera
- Nemopterella
- Palmipenna
- Parasicyoptera
- Pterocroce
- Savigniella
- Semirhynchia
- Sicyoptera
- Stenorrhachus
- †Roesleriana Martins-Neto 1997 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
- †Cratonemopteryx Martins-Neto 1992 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
- †Krika Martins-Neto 1992 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
References
External links
- Taxonomy - Nemopteridae
- Larval Stages of European Nemopterinae, with Systematic Considerations on the Family Nemopteridae (Insecta, Neuroptera). Also available on Researchgate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wikispecies-logo.svg/34px-Wikispecies-logo.svg.png)
Wikispecies has information related to Nemopteridae.