Family ASCALAPHIDAE
Compiler and date details
T.R. New La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
Introduction
Owlflies, as members of the family Ascalaphidae are known, are fast-flying aerial predators, superficially resembling dragonflies with long antennae. Larvae are rather similar to those of antlions, but differ in details of head and mouthparts; they occur on trees or in ground litter.
The fifteen Australian genera, many of them closely related, all belong to the ascalaphine tribe Suhpalacsini, and the species are most frequent in dryer areas. The Australian species were revised by New (1984).
General References
New, T.R. 1984. Revision of the Australian Ascalaphidae (Insecta: Neuroptera). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 100: 1-86