Long-tailed antlion
This week’s crawly likes to stand out in a crowd. Meet the long-tailed antlion (Mexoleon Papago).
The key feature that inspired their common name is quite obvious – they do, in fact, have very long tails. That is, the males do. Females’ tails are about the same length as their wings as with other species of antlions.
In addition to their fancy tails, there are many fun facts about long-tailed antlions (Tribe Brachynemurini).
First, long-tailed antlions are the largest tribe of antlions in North America with 56 species. Despite the large number of long-tailed species, however, they are rarely seen in Oregon.
Of the 7,183 US sightings on iNaturalist, only 38 of those are here in our state.
Still, this beautifully colored and patterned male was just hanging out under my porchlight, so seeing one is a possibility.
That golden-yellow hue is the second fun fact about long-tailed antlions. While Oregon’s other antlion species come in a variety of black, black or black – with maybe a golden marking or two – long-tailed antlions are primarily golden-yellow with dark brown and sometimes black markings.
Some long-tailed species such as Brachynemurus abdominalis (which is the most common both in Oregon and throughout the US) are almost entirely yellow, with just a few stripes and speckles of dark brown.
A universally fun fact about all antlions is both larvae and adults are very beneficial insects.
Adult antlions feed on nectar and soft-bodied arthropods, so they’re pollinators and pest controllers.
You may have heard antlion larvae referred to as “doodlebugs.” The ferocious little larvae (which give antlions their “lion” moniker) sometimes live in little sand pits, where they hide until a likely meal passes by, then they jump out and pull their prey into their pit.
The “doodle” part comes from lines in the sand the larvae create when they go on short walkabouts outside of their pits.
However, only Genus Myrmeleon antlion larvae (also known as pit-trap antlions) are true “doodlebugs” because they are the only pit trappers.
The larvae of all the other types of antlions, such as our long-tailed, are still wickedly effective predators, but conceal themselves in other ways. Some do still like to live in sandy soil but use it more for camouflage. Some hide out in small holes in tree bark, dining on other species of larvae that might harm the trees.
You might also be wondering why you don’t see adult antlions very often. Adults are nocturnal hunters. They are drawn to porchlights because their is prey is too, so you might get to see one first thing in the morning around an outdoor light.
If you’re lucky enough to see one flying around at dawn or dusk, you will absolutely believe in fairies! They look trés fey!
During the day antlions blend in for a couple of reasons. First, at a glance they resemble several other of our area crawlies – damselflies, fishflies and giant lacewings to name a few – so if you aren’t closely inspecting every arthropod, you may not know just how many adult antlions you’ve seen.
During the day adults chill out on vegetation, and they do a masterful job of becoming all but invisible when perched on grasses or sticks.
Fear not! Whether you notice them or not, antlions are out there doing antlion things as caretakers for flora and they look beautiful doing so.