File: <ascal1.ima.htm> [For educational purposes only] Terminology Glossary <Principal Natural
Enemy Groups > <Citations> |
Immature
Stages of Ascalaphidae
The larvae of Ascalaphidae are
distinguished from the true ant lions by their habit of walking forward
rather than backward. The adults
resemble dragonflies but may be distinguished by a long, clubbed antenna. They are crepuscular or nocturnal in
behavior. Please CLICK on
picture to view details:
Ululodes hyalina Latr. of the southern United States and Central
America was studied by McClendon (1902).
Eggs are laid in groups of 57-75 in a double row at the end of a twig,
and the mass is fenced off slightly below the base by several circles of
"repagula" placed on end.
These repagula are thought to be aborted eggs, produced by certain
ovarian tubules at the same time that others form normal eggs. This formation is thought to protect the
egg mass from natural enemies. The
incubation period is 9-10 days. Larvae hide in depression in soil
or under the edges of stones and cover their bodies with sand or dust. While awaiting prey, the huge mandibles
are held widely separated. The
closing of the jaws is seemingly triggered by contact, and the prey is
usually paralyzed within seconds by the bite. The body fluids of the prey are absorbed through a duct formed
by the fitting together of curved mandible and maxilla. There are 3 larval instars, and
development takes ca. 62 days.
Helicomitus dicax Wlk. lays dark brown eggs in single rows, each of
which contains as many as 40 (Ghosh 1913).
There are 3 larval instars, the larvae living on the ground surface,
beneath a dust covering which conceals all but the mandibles. These are used in placing the particles of
dust or sand on the back, and each mandible can be moved independently of the
other (Clausen 1940/62). The pupa
emerges from the cocoon by bursting it rather than by dissolving or cutting
an opening. There is one generation
annually, and overwintering is as active larvae.
Pseudoptynx sp. larvae do not have a covering
of sand or debris, but rather conceal themselves in tree bark depressions
(Gravely & Maulik 1911). Here
they are inconspicuous, their legs being hidden and their mandibles so widely
separated that they lie along the sides of the head and thorax. Larvae of Ascalaphus insimulans
Wlk. assemble in linear groups on plant stems, with their bodies overlapping,
so that only the heads and widespread mandibles are visible (Clausen 1940/62). Wheeler (1930) noted several
species that rely on protective coloration rather than a soil covering. One undermined species from Panama had a
greenish-colored larva that inhabited the leaves of trees and lay with its
body flattened along the mid-rib on the upper surface. When awaiting prey, the mandibles were
opened so widely that they were completely hidden beneath the lateral margins
of the thorax. References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references may be
found at: MELVYL Library ] |