Monday macrobug: Antlion pits

In areas of soil protected from the rain, we find antlion pits in our yard…

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These are traps, dug and maintained and occupied by the larvae of the family Myrmeleontidae. When a passing insect stumbles in, the antlion will throw sand grains and cause the hapless bug to tumble down, where the antlion snags it with a monstrous pair of jaws, and eats it.

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The adults look like your standard insect; the larvae look like something out of HP Lovecraft. I tried digging some up to photograph, but either I didn’t go deep enough, or they were too quick for me. So for now, these traces of the animal will have to do…

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