Larval antlions are oval, plump, flattened, soft-bodied, with segmented abdomens and 6 legs. They are mottled and dirt-colored, often with bristles. The head is flattened and bears a pair of large, sicklelike pincers that often have spines. Larvae in the genus Myrmeleon are most familiar. Though seldom seen, they live just beneath small, conical pits they create in sandy or loose soil. When they walk about on sandy surfaces, they leave behind meandering, scrawl-like patterns, hence the name “doodlebug.”
Adult antlions are much larger than their larvae and look like fragile, drab damselflies, with an elongated body, four intricately veined wings mottled with browns and black, and clubbed or curved antennae about as long as the combined head and thorax.
Larval length: when fully grown, to about ½ inch. Adult length: 1½ to 3 inches (not including appendages; varies with species).
Statewide.
Habitat and Conservation
Larval antlions are found, often in groups, in areas of sandy soil. There, each digs a conical pit by creeping backward and downward, using its head to flip soil away in quick jerks. The antlion needs this sandy pit to hunt, so soil conditions must be just right for an effective trap.
Adult antlions fly soon after their wings harden and are best looked for during calm, late-summer sunsets and evenings, as they flutter about seeking mates and good places to lay eggs. They also come to lights.
Food
Antlion larvae are voracious predators of ants and other small insects. Waiting quietly at the bottom of its conical pit, with just the tips of its pincerlike fangs protruding, the antlion larva quickly grabs any ant or other insect unlucky enough to tumble down the sides of the sandy pit in a miniature landslide. The antlion snags the prey in its caliper-like jaws and drags it below the pit, where it drinks its juices. Then the antlion hurls the drained skin beyond the edges of the pit and waits again. Antlions spend only about a month, or a little longer, in their adult form, nourishing themselves with nectar and pollen.
Status
Common in the sandy or dusty situations they require.
Life Cycle
Adult female antlions lay eggs singly in sandy soil. These hatch into small larvae that dig pits in the soil, live just under the base of the pit, and eat voraciously, molting occasionally as they grow. When ready to become adults, they dig more deeply into the soil and begin a pupal stage within a round cocoon made of sand and silk. After about a month, the insect emerges as an adult, crawls aboveground, allows its wings to harden, and takes flight. The adult antlions mate and repeat the cycle.
Human Connections
Like spiders, praying mantises, lady beetles, and lacewings, antlions quietly provide people with natural, nontoxic insect control.
Larval antlions are fascinating to watch, and science fiction writers draw inspiration from creatures like these.
Globally, there's a rich folklore history related to doodlebugs. Missourian Vance Randolph, who recorded Ozark lore in the early half of the 1900s, noted that "every boy is told that if he finds one of these nests and cries: 'Oh Johnny Doodlebug, / Come up an' I'll give you a bushel of corn!' the insect will climb out and show itself immediately." Vance also noted that Ozark hillfolk, using "witch sticks" or dowsing sticks to locate mines or lost treasure, called their implements "doodlebugs."
Another example of the supposed magical powers of antlion larvae is in chapter 8 of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which used Hannibal, Missouri, as inspiration. Here, Tom attempts to use magic spells to locate all his lost marbles (a boy's treasure). He spies "a small sandy spot with a little funnel-shaped depression in it. He laid himself down and put his mouth close to this depression and called — 'Doodle-bug, doodle-bug, tell me what I want to know! Doodle-bug, doodle-bug, tell me what I want to know!'" The insect appears for a second, then, alas, it dives quickly under the sand. Tom assumes witchcraft has enchanted the insect, superseding his intended spell.
Ecosystem Connections
The antlion’s name honors its role as a top predator in the miniature world of insects, where, to animals like ants, a patch of sandy soil is like a major sand dunes.
The adult antlions, flimsy, fluttery creatures, race to mate and lay eggs before being eaten by birds, bats, and other fly eaters.
