File: <rhagi1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature
Stages of Rhagionidae
Detailed information on immature stages of Rhagionidae is being
acquired. However, the two genera, Lampromyia and Vermileo have been thoroughly
studied in Europe. Vermileo vermileo L. was investigated very early in the history of
entomology by DeReaumur (1753) and Degeer (1776). Larvae of this and species of similar behavior are called
"worm lions" to distinguish them from ant lions of the Neuroptera,
with which they have some similarity.
Larvae construct pits in the dust and sand at the bases of cliffs and
other similar locations. These pits
are conically shaped, and the Vermileo
larva lies on its dorsum at the bottom of the pit where it encircles any
suitable prey that falls within reach, dragging it underneath the sand. Ants are one of the principal foods. The behavior of V. comstocki
Wheeler was discussed by Wheeler (1930).
This species inhabits glacial silt and dust in the mountains of
western North America. Eggs are laid
in masses of 50 or more, adhering together in rows in the dust or silt. They hatch in ca. 8 days. Young larvae are gregarious, but later
instars are solitary. The larva lies
in the inverted position in the pit, with its anterior end across the bottom. Prey consists principally of a common ant
species, Formica fusca L. Engle (1929) reported on behavior in Lampromyia sericea Westw. and Wheeler (1930) on several species of Lampromyia. Larvae of African L. pallida
Macq. differs in behavior from others of the genus and from Vermileo by holding its body in
a vertical position, with the anterior end coiled at the bottom of the pit
where it awaits its prey. Please CLICK on
picture to view details: Species of the genus Chrysopilus
that have been studied are quite different in their larval habits and host
preferences from those previously discussed.
Chrysopilus nubeculus Macq. is predaceous
in the egg capsules of Algerian locusts, and C. ferruginosus
Wied. lives in decaying plant roots or tissues in the East Indies and
Philippines. The latter species is a
predator on the larvae of the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus
Germ., and the sugarcane beetle borer, Rhobdocnemis
obscura Bsd.. it was introduced into several areas in
efforts at biological control.
Froggatt (1928) reported that the eggs were deposited in clusters of
16-60 in the borer holes in slightly decayed stem tissue. Young larvae found in decaying stems that
contained no weevil larvae were believed to be phytophagous. In North America Atherix
variegata Wlk. is an aquatic
species of considerable abundance.
Large egg masses and the remains of many flies have found on the
underside of a Connecticut bridge by Britton (1936). The largest of the masses covered an area
of ca. 50 sq-ft., and was at least one-half inch deep. Eggs hatch in ca. 6 days, and young larvae
drop into water, where they feed on various soft-bodied insects and other organisms. Some species of Symphoromyia also have aquatic larvae (Clausen 1940/62). References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm> [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library] |