Nemopteridae, the spoonwings, are a family of

neuroptera The insect order (biology), order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order consists of some 6,000 species. Neuroptera is grouped together with the Megaloptera (alderflies, f ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s. They are also called thread-winged antlions. They are found in the

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

, Australasian and

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...

s but absent in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

(though a fossil has been found in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

).Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. Volume 3, Insects, edited by Michael Hutchins, Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison, and Neil Schlager. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2003. Their flight is delicate and they have a circling flight to avoid walls when they are trapped indoors. The long streamer is conspicuous when the insects are flying and these are the elongated and spatulate hindwings. The larvae are predators feeding on small insects including ants. The adults feed on nectar and pollen. Male nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

Taxonomy

There are two distinct subfamilies in the family Nemopteridae: *Subfamily Crocinae, mostly nocturnal and crepuscular species with often a narrow habitat preference. They are found in arid desert zones and have a wide distribution along the southern fringes of the west

and Western Asia, as well as in dry Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australian areas. :*'' Afghanocroce'' :*'' Amerocroce'' :*'' Anacroce'' :*'' Apocroce'' :*'' Austrocroce'' :*'' Carnarviana'' :*'' Concroce'' :* '' Cretocroce'' Lu ''et al''. 2019 –

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

, Myanmar :*'' Croce'' :*'' Dielocroce'' :*'' Josandreva'' :*'' Laurhervasia'' :*'' Moranida'' :*'' Necrophylus'' :*'' Pterocroce'' :*'' Pastranaia '' :*'' Thysanocroce'' :*'' Tjederia'' :*'' Veurise'' *Subfamily Nemopterinae – diurnal, with a greater diversity. Genera include: :* '' Barbibucca'' :* '' Lertha'' :* '' Nemoptera'' :* '' Nemopterella'' Other nemopterid genera include: * '' Brevistoma'' * '' Chasmoptera'' * '' Cratonemopteryx'' Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian * '' Derhynchia'' * ''

Halter A halter or headcollar is headgear placed on animals used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. ...

'' * '' Halterina'' * '' Knersvlaktia'' * '' Krika'' Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian * '' Lertha'' * '' Nemeura'' * '' Nemia'' * '' Nemopistha'' * '' Nemopterella'' * '' Palmipenna'' * '' Parasicyoptera'' * '' Pterocroce '' * '' Roesleriana'' Martins-Neto 1997 –

Crato Formation The Crato Formation is a geologic formation (stratigraphy), formation of Early Cretaceous (Aptian) age in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. It is an important Lagerstätten, Lagerstätte (undisturbed fossil accumulation) for palaeontology, pa ...

, Brazil,

Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...

* '' Savigniella '' * '' Semirhynchia'' * '' Sicyoptera '' * '' Stenorrhachus ''

References

External links

* *
Taxonomy – ''Nemopteridae ''

Larval Stages of European Nemopterinae, with Systematic Considerations on the Family Nemopteridae (Insecta, Neuroptera)
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Researchgate
Neuroptera Neuroptera families {{Neuroptera-stub