"doodlebugs"
Adult Myrmeleontidae
I disturbed this insect as I was hunting insects in the brush on Antelope Island and saw it fly to another part of the plant and I thought it
didn't quite fly like a dragonfly, so I went over to check it out. I thought at first it was a Mantidfly but it was too pretty to be one of
those. For some reason, Antlion came to mind, although I've never seen an adult in real life. © Carol Davis, 6-23-2009
These insects are scary-looking predators as nymphs and in most of Utah dig a hole in sand like an funnel
into which insects, like ants, fall into and are then grabbed by enormous pincers and eaten. It's ironic that
the adult is so beautiful and feeds on nectar and pollen. The beautiful eyes remind me of a dragonfly
yet the dragonfly antennae are much different. © Carol Davis, 6-23-2009
Take a look at the beautiful wing structure. The brownish coloring showing through the wings is the skinny little
body of this insect. Looks like a stick. I hope to see one of these again. It was very cooperative and let me take
its picture to my heart's content. If you have never seen an Antlion nymph or know little about these strange
creatures, I encourage you to read more about them at The Antlion Pit, provided by Mark Swanson.
© Carol Davis, 6-23-2009
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