Family MYRMELEONTIDAE
Compiler and date details
T.R. New La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
Introduction
Myrmeleontidae, or antlions are by far the most diverse family of Neuroptera in Australia, and many species remain to be described. Most are found in the dryer regions of the continent, where the ground-dwelling larvae occur in litter and sand, with some (Myrmeleon Linnaeus, 1767 and its allies) forming the well-known conical pits associated with the family.
Three subfamilies are represented in Australia. The largest of these is Myrmeleontinae, with four tribes represented: Myrmeleontini, Protoplectrini, Dendroleontini (the most diverse) and Distoleontini, and, although all the tribes occur elsewhere, many of the genera in Australia are endemic. Acanthaclisinae comprise mainly large, hairy taxa, among them Australia's largest antlion (Heoclisis fulva (Esben-Petersen, 1912), with fore wing length up to about 75 mm). Stilbopteryginae, formerly given family status (as Stilbopterygidae, including also the South American Albardia Weele, 1903), includes two endemic genera of large species (Riek 1976, New 1982). Higher classification of the family is discussed by Markl (1954), Stange (1976 ) and Hölzel (1972), amongst others, and the Australian taxa were revised by New (1985a, 1985b, 1985c).
References
Hölzel, H. 1972. Die Neuropteren Vorderasiens. IV. Myrmeleonidae. Beiträge zur Naturkundlichen Forschung in Südwestdeutschland 37: 3–103
Markl, W. 1954. Vergleichend-morphologische Studien zur Systematik und Klassifikation der Myrmeleoniden (Insecta, Neuroptera). Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 65: 178–263
New, T.R. 1985a. A revision of the Australian Myrmeleontidae (Insecta: Neuroptera). I. Introduction, Myrmeleontini, Protoplectrini. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 104: 1–90
New, T.R. 1985b. A revision of the Australian Myrmeleontidae (Insecta: Neuroptera). II. Dendroleontini. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 105: 1–170
New, T.R. 1985c. A revision of the Australian Myrmeleontidae (Insecta: Neuroptera). III. Distoleontini and Acanthaclisinae. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 106: 1–159
New, T.R. 1982. A reappraisal of the status of the Stilbopteryginae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontoidea). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 21: 71–75
Riek, E.F. 1976. The family Stilbopterygidae (Neuroptera) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 15: 297–302
Stange, L.A. 1976. Classificacion y catalogo mundial de la tribu Dendroleontini con la redescripcion del genero Voltor Navás (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae). Acta Zoologica Lilloana 31: 261–322