''Libelloides longicornis'', common name black yellow owlfly, is an owlfly species belonging to the family

Ascalaphidae Ascalaphidae is a family of insects in the order Neuroptera, commonly called owlflies; there are some 450 extant species. They are fast-flying crepuscular or Diurnality, diurnal predators of other flying insects, and have large bulging eyes and ...

, subfamily

Ascalaphinae Ascalaphinae is the type subfamily of the neuropteran owlfly family. Most species are found in the tropics. Their characteristic apomorphy , shared with the Ululodinae, is the ridge which divides each of their large compound eyes; both groups are ...

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in South Western Europe (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

). These insects mainly occur in the sunny meadows at rather high elevation.

Description

''Libelloides longicornis'' can reach a length of and a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of . The body of these large owlflies is black, quite hairy, with some yellow markings. Also the head is black, with large compound eyes. The long sturdy black antennae are clubbed. The wings do not have scales, are partly transparent and show a network of translucent lemon yellow ribs. In the fore wings appears a small basal dark spot reaching the base of the wings. The hind wings have a characteristic squared dark area towards the apex and a dark triangular sickle-shaped spot pointing to the wing tip.Heiko Bellmann: Der Neue Kosmos Insektenführer, S. 134, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1999, The wings are usually held spread in sunny areas, as in

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

, but when they are at rest they fold their roof-shaped wings over their abdomen. This species is rather similar to ''

Libelloides coccajus ''Libelloides coccajus'', the "owly sulphur", is an owlfly species belonging to the family Ascalaphidae, subfamily Ascalaphinae. Distribution This rare insect is present in France, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Habitat ...

'', but in ''Libelloides longicornis'' the basal black area of the hind wings does not reach the anal angle.

Biology

Adults can be encountered from June through August. They are diurnal

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s of other small flying insects. Usually they fly between 2 meters and 3 meters high to catch their prey, preferably hunted under bright light conditions. The mating usually takes place in the late morning or at noon, when these insects are warmed by the sun. The male grabs after a short fight the female with the pincers located at the top of the abdomen. The females then lay their white eggs on stems of herbaceous plants in closely spaced double rows. Larvae resemble those of

antlion The antlions are a group of about 2,000 species of insect in the neuropteran family (biology), family Myrmeleontidae. They are known for the predation, predatory habits of their larvae, which mostly dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. ...

s, but they do not dig cavities in the ground.D. Badano & R.A. Pantaleoni, The larvae of European Ascalaphidae (Neuroptera)

Bibliography

*Aistleitner, E. (1981) Eine neue Unterart von Libelloides longicornis (L.) aus den Südostalpen (Neuropteroidea, Planipennia, Ascalaphidae)., Entomofauna 2:191-202. *Heiko Bellmann: Der Neue Kosmos Insektenführer, S. 134, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1999, *Michael Chinery, Parey's book of insects. A field guide of European insects - Stuttgart 2004, . *Monserrat, V. J. (1977) Una nueva variedad de Ascalaphus longicornis L. en el sureste de España (Neuropt. Ascalaphidae)., Graellsia 31:187-192. *Oswald J.D., LDL Neuropterida Species of the World.

References

External links

Galerie Insecte

Nature Guide

Neurotteri
{{Taxonbar, from=Q839653 Neuroptera of Europe Ascalaphidae Insects described in 1763 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Libelloides