Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Specy

Owlfly

Insects

Owlflies are insects of the family Ascalaphidae, related to antlions and lacewings within the order Neuroptera, named for their large, prominent eyes. Adults are strong fliers often mistaken for dragonflies, though they can be distinguished by their long, clubbed antennae, and their predatory larvae resemble antlion larvae, ambushing prey with large sickle-shaped jaws from concealment on the ground or on plants.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Insectivore 2
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Owlflies are distinguished from dragonflies by long, clubbed antennae and have large bulging eyes 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Scientific Name
Ascalaphidae 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Neuroptera, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Owlfly
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Owlfly
  • Introduction
    Ascalaphidae is a family of insects in the order Neuroptera, commonly called owlflies
  • Description section
    Owlflies are readily distinguished from the superficially similar dragonflies by their long, clubbed antennae
  • predators of other flying insects on land
  • Section: Ecology
    The larvae too are predatory, making owlflies important in maintaining a natural ecological balance and helping to control pest insects
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Owlfly
  • Wikidata Q1187229, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikipedia 'Owlfly': fast-flying crepuscular or diurnal predators of other flying insects
  • Child Taxon Of: Neuroptera, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q156438 (Neuroptera)
View the Source
3. Owlfly (Wikipedia)
there are some 450 extant speciesView the Source
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Insecta
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Insectos","language":"ES"},{"name":"Insects","language":"EN"},{"name":"Insectes","language":"FR"},{"name":"昆虫纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.