Ant lions look like? Larvae of the ant lion

An ant lion is an amazing creature, of whose existence many books and scientific works have been written. Judge for yourself, which of the insect larvae manage to conduct a more active and fuller life than an adult individual? It was thanks to their inventive larva that these insects received such an unusual name. Want to know more? Then read this article.

What does the ant lion look like?

Insects from the family of ant lions belong to the order of the net-winged. These are pretty large elegant creatures with a long (2-7.5 centimeters) body and two pairs of mesh transparent wings, the range of which reaches 55-80 mm. Despite some similarities, ant lions are easy to distinguish from dragonflies on long antennae and a slow zigzag manner of flight. In addition, these insects are able, like night butterflies, to fold their wings on their backs. Males differ from females by their greater size, width of their wings and some other features. The head of representatives of this family is placed vertically. The clavate antennae of the insect slightly thicken towards the end or end with the head. The larva of the ant lion resembles a tick. It is wingless, has a drop-shaped form and is endowed with large sickle-shaped and jagged jaws, which give out in it a ruthless predator. The head of the larva is flat, with no antennae visible on it.

Where does the ant lion live?

Approximately 2500 species include the family of ant lions. Most of them prefer heat, so it is found mainly in the regions with a tropical and subtropical climate. In the post-Soviet space, these insects can be found in the Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Ant ice lions are found in Leningrad region. Most often they are found on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, and also live within the boundaries of St. Petersburg. These insects prefer to live near the representatives of a close species, in open sandy areas with a warm climate. Also ant lions live in steppe zones in the south of Russia.

Why is an ant lion so called?

From the description of the appearance of the net-winged creatures, it is difficult to understand why they got such a strange name. Indeed, where is the "lion", the more "ant"? It turns out that the representatives of this family owe their names to the habits of their larvae. If adult ant lions are exquisite and harmless beings, their menacing larvae are an example of cunning and predatory inclinations. The whole way of life of ant lions in the first two or three years of existence is aimed at growth and development, so the larvae of these creatures arrange merciless hunt for other small insects, entice them into a trap and drink their vital juices. Since the larvae are most likely to become ants who, once trapped, can no longer get out of the powerful gorges of gluttonous predators, the net-winged insect is called the "ant lion".

Lion hunting for ants

On the roadsides or sandy beaches you can see funnels with a diameter of 5-15 centimeters. This deepening is the house and trapping pit of the ant lion. The larvae of these creatures choose their home away from the rain and wind, in sunny and dry places, so that the sand edges of the funnel easily fall off under the weight of other insects. Predators dig their dwellings with the help of vigorous contractions of the end of the abdomen, and the grains of sand falling from above are thrown off with sharp beatings of the head. It is interesting that the size of the excavated funnel depends on the appetite of the larva. After completing the work, these unique creatures burrow deeper into the sand so that only their powerful jaws stick out. As soon as the running ant starts to roll down into the prepared pit, the larva leaves its shelter. If the victim tries to get out, the ant lion starts throwing sand at her until the insect is at the bottom of the cooked trap. Then the larva thrust its huge jaws into it. Extraction of an ant lion can also be other insects, sometimes considerably exceeding its size. But the sharp jaws of the larvae are sucked into the victim firmly, and the bristles pointing forward on the body of the predator, like an anchor, cling to the ground. Fallen into a deadly trap, the victim is doomed to become the food of a clever hunter.

Digestion of food

Why is the caught insect on the bottom of the pit long does not resist? It turns out that the jaws are provided with special grooves, which contain toxic digestive juice. When injected into the victim's body, he first paralyzes her, and then begins to digest her insides. The tissues of the killed insect gradually become liquid, and the larva of the ant lion just drinks them, throwing out the useless chitinous shell. This process of digestion is called external. It's amazing that the larva does not excrete excrement, its hind and middle gut do not communicate with each other. Only adult insects can remove from the intestine food decay products accumulated there over the previous years of existence.

Creating a cocoon

An ant lion is an insect that, from a larva, eventually turns into a winged creature resembling a dragonfly. This process takes quite a long time. The larva of the ant lion during the period of its existence manages to overwinter twice. For this, she buries deep into the sand and falls asleep.

In the third year the larva turns into a pupa. To do this, she fastens individual grains of fine silky threads, surrounding herself with a dense cradle. It is interesting that the process of creating a cocoon for these insects differs from the creation of a similar structure in other creatures. If the caterpillars of butterflies and larvae of sawmillers use spinning glands to create a spider web, then the filaments created by the predatory larva of the ant lion are the result of the allocation of malpighian vessels located in the back of the insect.

Life of an adult

The second half of the summer is the time when the ant lion, big and awkward, finally gets out of the cocoon. In the daytime he sits motionless in the thickets of foliage, and at night and in the evening he slowly flies among the grass and trees. What does the ant lion eat in the sexually mature age? Adult specimens of this family live only a few weeks and practically do not eat anything. They exist at the expense of substances accumulated by the larva. Appetizer of an adult ant lion sometimes becomes pollen, but the main purpose of these creatures is reproduction. The females of this family lay eggs in dry sand. After a while new predatory larvae appear from them.

Security

Ant lions need protection. According to the researches and observations of the scientist VA. Krivokhatsky, no one yet managed to bring these unusual creatures in artificially created conditions. And the spread of ant lions in nature is hindered by the activity of a person who actively develops places of their natural habitat. People are increasingly adapting sand dunes and beaches for their own housing and recreation. In forests growing on sandy soils, there are fires that destroy representatives of the family of ant lions. The creation of fire strips in pine forests growing on sand, and the limitation of human life in regions suitable for the existence of ant lions are the main conditions for preserving this unique species of insects. The ant lion is included in the Regional Red Books of Karelia, Tatarstan and the Tver Region.

Ant lions in culture

In the south of the United States there is a belief that the larva of the ant lion can be lured out of the hole by a special spell. The same legends were recorded among the peoples of Australia, China, Africa and the Caribbean.

The early Christian didactic book "Physiologist" contains a description of the mythological ant lion. The work publishes the notion of Christian morality in accordance with the properties of the legendary animals. An ant lion is described in it as a hybrid of two incompatible creatures - a lion and an ant. This mythological creation is doomed to starvation due to its hybrid physiology: it can not eat plants like an ant, and devour meat like a carnivorous lion.

In the Japanese art of Kusudam, "ant lion" is an elegant spherical piece made of paper. Its name was probably derived from the poetic sound of incongruous words. The art of Kusudama resembles origami, but differs significantly from it in the way of creating paper models.

Ant lion at home

An ant lion can be kept at home. To do this, a layer of sand about 5 cm in height should be poured into the open container. One insect requires a separate depression 8-10 cm in diameter. Feed ant lions can be ants, crickets and flies-drosophila. To ensure that live food does not get out, the walls of the container should be lubricated with petroleum jelly. After the larva turns into a chrysalis, it is better to cover the container with a fine mesh, so that the ant lion does not fly away, and stick a stick into the sand so that the insect will sit on it until the wings finally break. The day after leaving the cocoon, the ant lion should be let out of the container, otherwise it will die. Observation of the habits of this animal will be interesting and cognitive not only for children, but also for adults.