Nemopteridae

Nemopteridae Temporal range: Aptian–Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Nemoptera sp. - Muséum of Toulouse
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Neuroptera
Suborder:	Myrmeleontiformia
Family:	Nemopteridae Burmeister 1839
Subfamilies

Nemopteridae, the spoonwings, are a family of neuropteran insects. They are also called thread-winged antlions. They are found in the Ethiopian, Palearctic, Australasian and Neotropical realms but absent in North America (though a fossil has been found in Colorado).^[1]

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.

Male nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse pheromone.^[1]

Taxonomy[]

There are two distinct subfamilies in the family Nemopteridae:

• , 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 Palearctic and Western Asia, as well as in dry Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australian areas. It includes the following genera:

• † Lu et al. 2019 – Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian

• – diurnal, with a greater diversity. Genera include:

• Nemoptera

Other nemopterid genera include:

• Chasmoptera
• Nemia
• † Martins-Neto 1997 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• † Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• † Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Nemopteridae at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Nemopteridae at Wikispecies

• Taxonomy – Nemopteridae
• Larval Stages of European Nemopterinae, with Systematic Considerations on the Family Nemopteridae (Insecta, Neuroptera). Also available on Researchgate

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