Ant lion
The larvae of some ant maids (Myrmeleontidae), which represent a family of insects from the order of the netwings , are called ant lions (formerly also "after virgins") .
Among the reticulated winged fly ant maids are the most species-rich and most widespread group, an evolutionary success that is largely attributed to the way of life of the larvae. A large part of the species (whose larvae live exclusively predatory) has opened up a new ecological niche with the colonization of sand habitats . A particularly well-developed form of adaptation is catching prey using self-dug funnels in loose sand. This unusual behavior was known long before any systematic entomological research and has found its way into myths and legends and has repeatedly aroused scientific interest. In many languages, the corresponding translation of the word "ant lion" is available as the sole designation for the animal group and is also used for the lesser-known adult animals, the ant maids.
The ant lion was named Insect of the Year 2010.
anatomy
Ant lions have a compact, elongated, rounded body, from which only the head and legs, especially the middle pair of legs, are separated. The head-torso length reaches - depending on the species - about 1.5 cm. As ground-dwelling animals, their coloring is usually adapted to the subsurface by a gray or brown basic color with darker markings. Exotic species are also brownish, reddish, or light yellow in color. Particles of the surrounding substrate are often taken up between the bristles on the upper side of the body, so that a visual fusion with the surroundings is achieved.
Head and mouthparts
The head is flat and square to heart-shaped. The appearance is characterized by the powerful jaws, the length of which corresponds roughly to that of the rest of the head and which are directed forward and curved towards each other at the end. The jaw forceps consist of the upper jaws and the lower, much narrower lower jaws, which are fitted into a groove in the upper jaw. The space between the upper and lower jaw forms a suction channel, inside the lower jaw runs a poison channel that is connected to a poison gland in the head. The inside of the jaw forceps is provided with some strong teeth, also with numerous bristles, which in some species also sit on the outside. The suction channel connects to the outermost end of the otherwise closed mouth gap and thus forms the only access to the oral cavity.
The eyes are on the hilltops and each have seven point eyes . The short, thin antennae and the ocular hillocks are on the outermost leading edge of the head next to the base of the forceps.
Thorax and legs
The first breast segment ( prothorax ) is narrow and elongated in some species and can be extended or retracted far. The other two breast segments ( mesothorax and metathorax ) are much wider; the metathorax usually reaches the maximum body width. The tufts of bristles on the sides of the meso- and metathorax are noticeable.
The legs are built differently depending on the lifestyle of the larvae. Usually the second pair of legs is most clearly visible and the longest. The first pair of legs, which, like the second, have a two-part foot and are usually directed forward, is a little shorter. The third pair of legs is directed backwards, often greatly shortened and hidden under the abdomen and has only one-legged feet.
Abdomen
The abdomen consists of ten segments, which are usually provided with bristle humps on the sides. The rear edge of the ninth segment, which forms the end of the body, is also provided with bristles, some of which are punched bristles. The tenth segment is usually shifted to the inside of the body and can be extended as a finger-shaped spinning tube. The rectum opens into the spinning tube, but it has no excretory function, but only serves to release the spider silk that is formed in the Malpighian vessels and used for cocoon spinning.
Specific adjustments in physique
In many respects the body structure of the ant lions is similar to that of other reticulated winged larvae, but there are essential peculiarities that are related to the development of a sand-dwelling way of life.
Reticulated winged larvae are generally specialized hunters who have pincers with a suction channel to impale prey and suck out the loosened inner tissue. Together with the larvae of the butterfly-like and the Nymphidae , the ant lions are characterized by the development of greatly enlarged, crescent-shaped curved jaws, which are provided with grasping thorns on the inside. These highly developed prey catching tools allow the prey spectrum to be expanded to include heavily armored and defensible insects, which enables a way of life as a stalker. Furthermore, this type of diet practically prevents sand from penetrating the body. The widening and strong bristling of the jaw forceps also make them an efficient "throwing shovel" for digging.
In the ant lion, the outer shell of the body is almost completely closed, and there is no excretion because the food can be used almost completely. This also prevents the ingress of sand on the one hand and the loss of water on the other, both of which are prerequisites for living in dry and hot sand areas. Some of the Malpighian vessels, usually excretory organs, could therefore be converted to produce spider silk for cocoon spinning.
The body surface of the ant lion is completely covered with bristles of various types (stem bristles, long bristles, feather hairs and fork hairs). These serve as sensory organs to register approaching prey as well as to fix the body in the loose sand and to support digging. In return, the eyes, which play only a minor role in the buried way of life, are greatly reduced.
The legs of many species have receded and thus only allow slow, jerky locomotion, often only backwards.
Way of life
habitat
The ancestors of the ant lions presumably had a tree-dwelling way of life, which is still prevalent in many netwings larvae, such as those of lacewings or the diurnal ( aphid lions ). The special formation of the jaw pincers enabled the ant lions to transition to a way of life as ambulance hunters and to conquer new habitats: In addition to the originally considered habitat on trees, they also colonize various cavities such as tree hollows, animal structures or rock overhangs, or open habitats such as rocks, litter or sand . The ability to colonize sand habitats not only distinguishes this group of animals from the closely related butterfly-like species, but is also the reason for the abundance of species that the ant maids have produced on all continents.
There are only a few groups of insects that, like most ant lions, lead an extremely psammophilic (sand-loving) way of life, i.e. living and being completely buried in open, sun-exposed areas of sand. The extreme case of this adaptation is represented by the obligatory funnel-building species, which due to their physique are exclusively dependent on this method of catching prey.
The funnel construction is a perfect adaptation to the hostile environment of dry, hot sand areas in two respects. On the one hand, it allows the larvae to expand their range of action when catching prey without having to change location. On the other hand, the funnel serves as heat protection: the funnel wall facing the sun is illuminated at a flatter angle than the level floor and consequently does not heat up as much. It has been observed that the ant lion prefers to stay on the cooler side and thus escape the surface temperatures, which can be 80 ° C in desert areas .
Ant lions are not the only insects that have developed this prey capture method. The worm-like larvae of the worm lions (Vermileonidae), a two-winged family, also build funnel-shaped traps in dry sandy areas.
nutrition
All ant lions are predatory, but relatively few species are active hunters who specifically seek out or pursue their prey. Acanthaclisis baetica is one of the Central European species . The vast majority of species lie in wait for prey in the sand or in the litter. About ten percent of all species build funnels to catch prey. Many of them specialize in this method of catching prey, namely primarily the genus Myrmeleon together with some closely related genera, which are summarized as the tribe Myrmeleonini.
References to the development of the tribe from way of life and distribution
The phylogenesis within the ant maids has not yet been satisfactorily clarified. In addition to the morphology of the larvae and adult insects, the way of life of the larvae can also provide valuable information to answer this question. The genus Myrmeleon , of which all members are obligatory funnel builders, is represented worldwide on all continents and islands on which there are ant lions at all. Since a convergence can be ruled out here, the construction of the funnel must have been part of the ant lion behavioral repertoire before the continents were separated. The Acanthaclisini tribe , which is one of the non-funnel-building inhabitants of sand, is also widespread worldwide . An equally very old branch in the family tree of the ant maids are the Dendroleontini, to which the native panther ant maiden ( Dendroleon pantherinus ) also belongs. This group could have split off before the development of the sand-dwelling way of life, as their representatives colonize other habitats, for example tree hollows. Possibly the Dendroleontini form a sister group to all other ant maids.
The species-poor group of the Stilbopterygini, which is exclusively represented in Australia, is interpreted by some authors as a relic group and forerunners of the sand inhabitants. The Myrmecaelurini are sand dwellers who sometimes also build funnels, but do not belong to the obligatory funnel builders; this group is restricted to the Old World .
A few other groups of sand-dwelling, but also tree and rock-dwelling species are restricted to the New World .
A group that is clearly identified as monophyletic through numerous derived characteristics are the Palparini, which are largely restricted to Africa and thus only emerged after the breakup of Gondwana , i.e. represent a very young split in the family tree.
Secondary rock-dwelling way of life
An ant lion with a remarkable way of life is the larva of the South American species Navasoleon boliviana . This species lives in Peru, camouflaged upside down, sitting on the underside of overhanging rocks. In this position, the larva can remain immobile for months while it waits for prey with its jaws wide open. It also shows peculiarities in its development, it spins its cocoon on the smooth rock surface, which, in contrast to that of all other ant maids, has a double structure. The hatching of the pupa shows differences to other genera in which the pupa, orienting itself according to gravity, leaves the cocoon upwards; Navasoleon strives towards the light when leaving the cocoon. In the physique, the species shows deviations, which, like the way of life, show similarities with the butterfly-like, the sister group of the ant maid. Their closest relatives (the Glenurini tribe), on the other hand, have a sand-dwelling way of life, so it can be assumed that the special characteristics are derived from Navasoleon and that their ancestors were also sand-dwellers. The similarities with the butterfly-like are therefore to be interpreted as convergences. Interestingly, there are also characteristics of other types of ant maid that are usually considered to be the distinguishing characteristics of butterfly-like.
Funnel construction
The zoologist Franz Theodor Doflein described the funnel construction in 1916 as a pure reflex phenomenon based on the throwing reflex, which is triggered by various key stimuli . According to more recent findings, however, this is an oversimplification of a much more complex behavior.
Movement sequences
The funnel construction is based on three movement sequences:
- Drilling into the sand: An ant lion set down on the sandy bottom immediately begins to dig its way into the sand with its abdomen first. The backward movement through the second and third pair of legs is supported by the forward bristling of the body, which converts the undulating movement of the abdomen into a backward thrust. With a downward curve of the abdomen of 60 to 90 °, the ant lion can disappear into the upper layer of sand in a few seconds.
- Plowing pushing movement: If the movement sequence of drilling takes place without the body bending downwards, a backward movement results on or directly below the surface of the earth. This movement occurs in jerks by alternately stretching the third pair of legs, lifting the abdomen and stretching the second pair of legs. In this way the ant lion can travel long distances, even over 100 m. When moving directly under the surface of the sand, a crawl is created as a channel, at the edges of which the sand that has been pushed aside is piled up.
- Throwing activity: The sand is thrown out by jerking back the head and the powerful jaws. The jaw forceps can be bent up to 180 ° backwards and 90 ° to the side. Soil particles are thrown away up to 30 cm.
Basic principle of the funnel construction
The construction of the funnel itself takes place as follows: At a suitable point, the ant lion begins a circular walk in a plowing pushing motion. This is followed by a spiral corridor that widens the trench inward. By constantly throwing the sand into the area outside the original circular path, the trench gains depth, creating a funnel that initially has a crater island in the middle. When the ant lion has reached the center, it ends its migratory activity and throws the material that remained in the center as well as the material that slipped out of the funnel. After the funnel has been built, which takes around 15 minutes, the ant lion remains at the bottom in the middle of the funnel, from where it gets the funnel in shape in the event of damage and malfunctions due to further ejections.
The most important prerequisite for the "functioning" of the funnel is that the slope of the funnel walls corresponds exactly to the angle of friction of the substrate used (about 30 ° for sand) and that this has the maximum possible slope. Every foreign body brought in, including every animal that gets on the funnel wall, unbalances its unstable state and inevitably causes the sand to slide off.
Three different throwing techniques have been observed that the ant lion uses to remove larger debris from the funnel:
- The radial throw from the center of the funnel backwards over the body can carry particles ten times the body weight out of the funnel
- The lateral throw halfway up the funnel wall sideways outward removes foreign bodies five to eight times heavier
- The tangential throw from half the height over the body is sufficient for particles five times the larval weight
Special forms
A remarkable development of the construction principle was observed in the Australian species Callistoleon illustris . The funnels are built in sloping sand surfaces on the edge of sandstone walls or under overhanging stones. Starting from the edge of the funnel, the ant lion creates several (2–7) trenches, the length of which is usually a multiple of the funnel diameter. The trenches preferably run in the direction of the rising surface and are usually almost as deep as the funnel itself. Like the funnel itself, these steep-walled furrows are always kept in shape and can increase the catch quota by more than four times as prey animals attempting the To cross trench, be steered towards the funnel.
A special form observed, which is not due to its own behavior pattern, but to the nature of the ground, are pear-shaped funnels. Due to the soaking and subsequent drying of the top soil layer while deeper layers are kept dry, these are narrowed towards the opening.
Searches
Before the funnel is built, some species wander around just below the surface of the sand in search of a suitable place and only start construction after careful examination. Other species remain in the same place for the entire time of their larval stage, which was already selected as suitable when laying their eggs.
In Central Europe it is the common ant maiden ( Myrmeleon formicarius ) and the spotted ant maiden ( Euroleon nostras ) that lay their eggs in a suitable, often extremely small-scale sandy area. Sometimes a hand's breadth of loose sandy soil, which is reliably protected from rain but exposed to the sun, is enough, for example under rock protrusions or on house walls. The larvae of the dune damsel ( Myrmeleon bore ) live on open sandy areas, for example inland dunes. They regularly carry out searches and are often easier to spot thanks to their crawl tracks than their funnels.
External influences on the funnel construction
Not every soil material is suitable for creating catch funnels, but the ant lion does not necessarily need sand. Loess , stone debris and even vegetable detritus are also possible - the most important prerequisite is that the material remains permanently dry and that it quickly regains its free-flowing consistency even after being moistened. The specific weight of the substrate plays a minor role; only a material that is too light and fine as a dust prevents successful hopper construction. A high specific weight does not cause any problems. Soil moisture is likely to be the most important limiting factor in the spread of ant young in Central Europe.
The grain size has a certain influence on construction activity; larger funnels are generally built with finer material. Above all, a uniform grain size is an advantage. Here the ant lion can help itself with its throwing activity within certain limits: Due to the air resistance, finer particles are not thrown away as far as coarser ones and thus accumulate in the vicinity of the funnel and on the funnel walls. This creates strikingly smooth, uniform funnels even in inhomogeneous substrates.
The funnel size can depend on several factors. The larval stage plays a decisive role - this is how the newly hatched ant lions build funnels with a maximum diameter of 1 cm. Even within a larval stage, the size of the funnel is related to the size of the larva. Larger funnels were also observed with a more favorable (fine) grain size of the sand, higher ambient temperature and better nutritional situation, smaller funnels with frequent disturbances, high population density and shortly before and after the moulting break .
Catching prey
Fishing method
With its receptors, probably the sensory hairs on the bristle humps of the meso- and metathorax, the ant-lion perceives insects approaching the funnel from a distance of 60–80 mm. Even from this distance, he can carry out a reaction appropriate to the newcomer: potential prey animals are deliberately pelted with sand, with larger animals that could pose a danger, the ant lion dives into deeper layers of sand.
If the prey animal hits the funnel wall, slipping is encouraged by sand throws at the animal itself as well as by non-directional throws. At the bottom of the funnel, the ant lion grabs its prey in the middle of the body with the jaw forceps and drills the tips into the intersegmental membranes between the chitin plates. A highly toxic poison is injected through the poison channel of the jaw forceps, which already shows its effect in the form of paralysis of the prey after 30 seconds. The time to death of the prey can be a few minutes to about half an hour. The prey is partially drawn into the sand at the bottom of the funnel.
Pre-digestion is done by injecting digestive enzymes into the paralyzed prey. The inside of the prey animal's body is completely dissolved into a cloudy, homogeneous mass. The subsequent sucking out of the food pulp can take several hours, in which the prey is pierced in several other places. The extracted casing is then thrown out of the funnel.
Food spectrum
Contrary to what the name suggests, not only ants belong to the ant lion's prey spectrum, even though they are also typical prey animals and can make up the main part of the food if the ant lion lives in the immediate vicinity of an ant burrow. In general, however, many types of arthropods can serve as food, as the ant lion usually does not have the opportunity to be picky. In addition to insects from many orders, woodlice , spiders , mites and millipedes are potential prey, sometimes even small slugs and earthworms . Limiting factors are:
- The size of the prey: Too large prey can free themselves from the hopper or to afford much of a fight, so the ant lion mostly for flight response is initiated. Prey animals that are too small cannot be grasped properly.
- Unsuitable prey: In heavily armored animals such as leaf beetles , the ant lion's pincers will not find any point of contact with which to pierce. The shell of snail snails cannot be pierced either, and the body shell of wood lice also occasionally causes difficulties.
- Lifeless prey: prey animals that show no signs of life are viewed as foreign bodies and thrown out of the funnel.
- Resistance to defense: The resistance of the prey animals usually does not cause any major problems for the ant lion, but there are individual reports that larger ants were able to defend themselves successfully against an ant lion, sometimes even transporting it to their nest.
development
Ant lions go through three largely similar larval stages. The Central European species usually need two years for the entire development, deviations are the three-year development phase of the dune ant damper ( Myrmeleon bore ) and the one-year phase of Myrmeleon inconspicuus . Hibernation takes place as a larva, which can easily survive eight months without eating. Tropical species are not tied to seasonal changes in their development.
After about ten days of rest, during which the ant lion shows no readiness to eat, it begins a few centimeters deep in the earth in an angled posture with the spinning of the cocoon, in which the pupa rest and the transformation into an imago takes place.
larva
Cocoon in the sand
Doll skin: exuvia of a hatched imago
Hatched imago
Larva: partial aspect of the head with the lateral point eyes
The ant lion in history and culture
The ant lion funnels are one of the most striking phenomena in nature and so it is not surprising that the term "ant lion", or its literal translation, was already used in antiquity. However, the observation of nature mixed with mythical tales, in the imagination the inconspicuous insect turned into a dangerous, aggressive predator.
The gold digger ants
In the Histories Apodexis by Herodotus (around 430 BC) there is a report about " gold digger ants " which is said to come from Indian sources. According to this, there are wild animals in a desert in northern India , larger than a fox but smaller than a dog, who live in the sand and pile up mountains of gold-bearing sand. Herodotus describes the way in which these ant lions are outwitted to steal the closely guarded gold without falling prey to the animals. The connection of characteristics of real ant lions (sand-dwelling way of life, throwing up sand, defensive ability) with fantastic elements (increasing into monstrousness, gold mining, persecution of gold thieves) is striking. Similar reports can be found in Nearchus , Megasthenes , Callimachus , Agatharchides , Artimideros, and Properz .
The story was taken up in the course of the following centuries by numerous authors and provided with changes and embellishments, so the place was moved to Arabia or Ethiopia and the animals grew in size.
Today it is unclear whether the “gold digger ants” are pure fiction or whether they are based on observation of nature. Marmots , pangolins or honey badgers have already been suspected as animals that could be used for such an observation . It was also considered that they could be people dressed in skins and digging for gold.
Biblical mention
In the Septuagint , the classical Greek translation of the Old Testament , the word μυρμηκολέων ( myrmēkoleōn "ant-lion") can also be found in the Book of Job :
- μυρμηκολέων ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βοράν, σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους . ( The lion perishes for want of prey, and the lioness' cubs are scattered. Job 4:11 ELB , translation of the Elberfeld Bible )
The original Hebrew text uses the word לַיִשׁ, an uncommon word for "lion". Perhaps the author wanted to loosen up the text by using this word, since “lion” appears frequently in this passage. The translator probably considered the terms used largely synonymous. In the Vulgate , this was translated as tigris (= tiger). As a result, this passage gave rise to speculation and confusion about the "μυρμηκολέων", or in Latinized form " mirmicoleon ". In the Physiologus (2nd century) the ant lion is interpreted as a hybrid of ant and lion. The moral is drawn from the biblical passage that the ant lion, due to its ambiguous nature, as a descendant of herbivores (which the ant was thought to be) and carnivores, is doomed for lack of food.
middle Ages
In the centuries that followed, the more objective view prevailed, starting with Pope Gregory I , who declared that the ant lion was just a larger type of ant that preyed on smaller animals. This view was also adopted by Isidore of Seville . Rabanus Maurus , who relied on these two authors, introduced the Latin name formicaleon for the insect to distinguish it from the mythical μυρμηκολέων. He interpreted the name as meaning that the ant lion appears as a predator to ants, but only as an ant to other animals, such as birds.
Nevertheless, in bestiaries and world maps of the Middle Ages the ancient reports of the gold digger ants, which were mostly located in Africa, were used again and again. They were expressly differentiated from the insects as described by Gregor and Isidor.
Scientific exploration in history
The writings of Gregory I, Isidore of Seville and Rabanus Maurus, who clearly recognized an insect in the ant lion, can be seen as the beginnings of the scientific study of the ant lion. Rabanus Maurus was probably able to rely on his own observations. The oldest pictorial representation, which perhaps depicts an ant lion, comes from a Byzantine manuscript and is entitled μυρμηκιον ("ant-like animal"), but the picture could also show another ant-like animal, such as an ant-like jumping spider of the genus Myrmarachne or an ant wasp . A first scientifically based description of the ant lion can be found in De Animalibus by Albertus Magnus . He notes that the ant lion is more like a mite than an ant in physique and describes his method of catching prey. The first clearly identifiable drawing of an ant lion was made around 1460.
It was only with the advent of modern natural sciences in the 18th century that knowledge about the ant lion was significantly expanded again. The works of Réaumur (1742) and Rösel von Rosenhof (1755) in particular dealt in detail with this group of animals. Both researchers based their work on intensive observations and provided their works with excellent illustrations. Réaumur was the first to mention the non-funnel-building ant lions. Linnaeus, whose Systema naturae also appeared at this time, finally marks the beginning of systematic modern research in nature.
The ant lion motif in film and computer games
The idea of a hunter hidden in the sand in an inhospitable environment has not only stimulated the imagination of people in ancient times. Nowadays it is movie monsters whose creation was occasionally inspired by ant lions and which, as in the myth of the gold ants , are a deadly danger to humans. A well-known example is the Sarlacc in Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi Knights , an ancient man-eating monster that lives buried in a funnel in the desert and only shows its teeth and tentacle-armored mouth. Another funnel-building monster appears in Enemy Mine . This, however, grabs its prey with its long, tentacle-like tongue, while the indigestible remains of the meal are thrown out of the pit in a high arc, just like an ant lion. The man-eating giant worms in the horror comedy Tremors are also said to be inspired by ant lions.
In the episode “Maya the Bee with the Ants” of the anime television series Maya the Bee from the 1970s, Maya the Bee frees an ant from an ant lion's trap at the last minute. In the animation film Space Adventure Cobra as well as in the accompanying video game there is the "ant lion's nest" in the northern desert. Behind it is Crazy Joe, who is pulling vehicles and living beings down there through a sand funnel. He sells the former and uses it as a source of spare parts, while the latter ends up on his menu. In the computer game Half-Life 2 one of the hostile characters is the ant lion (Antlion), a strong and fast opponent who lives underground in sandy areas. In the game there is also a bigger and stronger version - the "Antlion Guard" - a kind of ant lion queen.
The ant lion also appears as an opponent in some parts of the role-playing game series Final Fantasy . Although its appearance largely corresponds to the real model, the body size is many times larger, so that people can also be devoured. Exemplary appearances would be, for example, in the fifth part of the series, in which one of the playable characters still warned that you don't need to be afraid of ant lions, but a short time later falls victim to such, or the ninth part, in which the ant lion as Intermediate opponent occurs. In the Pokémon game series , the developers for Pokémon number 328 "Knacklion" have oriented themselves towards ant lions.
In his Defoe film Las Aventuras de Robinson Crusoe (1954), Luis Buñuel gave the ant lion a short but special appearance. In a state of lonely regression, after losing any interlocutor (such as his dog), Robinson can be seen talking to ant lions, feeding them with an ant with great pleasure and extraordinary satisfaction, and then saying goodbye to them amicably. Shortly afterwards, this idyll comes to an abrupt end when a footprint is discovered in the sand.
In some parts of the game series The Legend of Zelda (e.g. Link's Awakening ), various opponents appear lurking in holes and try to grab the character by the head with large claws. In some cases, the immediate area is designed like a sandy funnel.
The ant lion in literature
Occasionally, in narrative literature, the ant lion is mentioned as a refined hunter on the one hand, and a devious hunter on the other, mostly in descriptions of nature such as Wilhelm von Kügelgen's youthful memories of an old man (1870), in which the author relates childhood memories in the Dresden area :
- Hikes were also embarked on, exploring the sometimes very lovely side valleys of the mountain range or looking for mushrooms on the heights in the fir forest, which grew there in large nests and were always welcome in the kitchen. On the occasion of such a mushroom hunt, which drew my gaze to the earth, I discovered a peculiar insect that I have never encountered anywhere else, the so-called ant lion. The sand-gray animal is about the size of a bush tail and, by digging for itself in the loose sand, forms a small, very regular, about inch-deep funnel, in the depth of which it lurks, hidden under sand, invisible. As soon as an ant shows itself at the edge of the funnel, the monster sprays up sand, which pulls the little hiker down into the depths. He tries in vain to work his way out again, new grapes inevitably reach him, and he keeps rolling down the gullet until the robber manages to grab him with his ghostly tentacles and pull him into the underworld.
Another example of the ant lion in literature is an old children's novel by Rudolf Schleemüller, Emsenvolk on a long journey . It is about a colony of ants that is threatened with extinction due to the death of the queen. A group of intrepid ants set out to find a new queen. They experience many dangerous adventures, including the encounter with an ant lion named Suckelborst.
Others
The Brandenburg city of Storkow chose the ant lion as the mascot of the inland dune Waltersberge , whose core area is designated as a nature conservation and FFH area in the Natura 2000 network .
literature
- Johannes Gepp, Herbert Hölzel: Ant lions and ant maids - Myrmeleonidae. New Brehm library. Vol. 589. Westarp-Wiss., Magdeburg 1989, ISBN 3-89432-322-1
- Mervyn W. Mansell: Evolution and success of antlions (Neuropterida: Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae). In: Stapfia. Volume 60, Linz 1999, pp. 49-58, ISSN 0252-192X , PDF on ZOBODAT
- RB Miller, LA Stange: Description of the antlion larva Navasoleon boliviana Banks with biological notes (Neuroptera; Myrmeleontidae). In: Neuroptera International. Nice 3. 1985, 119-126. ISSN 0223-5137
- MW Mansell: The pitfall trap of the Australian ant-lion Callistoleon illustris (Gerstaecker) (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae): an evolutionary advance. In: Australian Journal of Zoology. Collingwood 36.1988, 351-356. ISSN 0004-959X
- DK McE. Kevan: Antlion ante Linné: Μυρμηκολεων to Myrmeleon (Insecta: Neuroptera: Myrmeleonidae). In: Current Research in Neuropterology. Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Neuropterology. Bagnères-de-Luchon Fra 1991. eds. M. Canard, H. Aspöck, and MW Mansell. SACCO, Toulouse Fra 1992, 203-232, ISBN 2-9506536-0-X
Web links
- Antlionpit - Extensive information on ant lions (English)
- Information System ZInsecta - Database of damselfly species (English)
- Picture story about the construction of the catch funnel and the hunting strategy of an ant lion
Individual evidence
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↑ Pierer's Universallexikon Vol. 1, Altenburg 1857, p. 172; see http://www.zeno.org/Zeno/0/earch?q=afterjungfer&k=Bibliothek .
The expression can already be found in Joachim Heinrich Campe : Dictionary of the German language. Reprograph. Nachdr. Olms 1969-1970 = 1807-1813, vol. 1, p. 80. - ↑ Article at www.nabu.de
- ↑ Herodotus: Historiae 3.102.1
- ↑ Frederik Eginhard Schiern: About the origin of the legend of the gold digging ants. Copenhagen 1873.
