112 



Marvels of Insect Life* 



there is no channel for it. Nature has been so careful that the ant-lion's pit should 

 not be polluted by such waste, that arrangements have been rnade for its retention 

 in the hind-body. It is not until the ant-lion Hy emerges from the chrysalis that 

 it is got rid of. 



The full-grown ant-lion is provided with a spinning apparatus on the hind-body, 

 with which, when it feels that its feeding days are over, it elaborates a cocoon 

 beneath the sand, in which it changes to a chrysalis. It still has a pair of mandibles, 

 but these are much shortened, and intended to enable it to cut through the cocoon 

 just before the winged fly is ready to emerge. 



It is strange that in places where the ant-lion is quite plentiful its flv should be 

 rarely seen. This may be due to retiring habits, or possibly few of the " lions " 

 manage to complete their development to the winged stage. More than 

 three hundred different species of ant-lions are at present known, but they are not 

 all makers of pitfalls. Some of them lead a roving life among grass and undergrowth, 

 lying in wait for their prev. Some of these wanderers, having no necessity for dry 

 sand, are found in quite damp places. The species are found widely distributed 

 in temperate and tropical regions, and one is found as far north as Southern Sweden, 

 though none is found in Britain. 



The related families of the ascalaphids and nemopterids are very similar 

 .- - ' . - .^ in form to the ant-lions. 



but the larvae do not make 

 pitfalls. The winged asca- 

 laphus is still more like a 

 dragon-fl\' in build, but 

 has clubbed antennae much 





i3<fc»^ 



'sv^ 



Photo by] 



The Pitfall Completed. 



[H. Bifilin. 



The pit when finished is in shape hke a low inverted cone. It is often sunk under the 

 shelter of overhanging rocks, for it is essential that the soil should remain drv and loose. 

 Any creeping thing that comes to the edge is sure to lose its hold on the uncertain material, 

 and the ant-lion's continuous throwing of sand from the centre helps to bring the trespasser 

 within reach of his jaws. 



longer than those of the 

 ant-lion flv. Nemoptera is 

 a peculiarlv graceful flv, 

 for its hinder wings are 

 narrow, strap-shaped, and 

 of extraordinary length. 

 The mouth is formed into 

 a beak, something like that 

 of the scorpion-fly. Several 

 species occur in the Medi- 

 terranean region. An 

 extraordinary Insect sup- 

 posed to be the larva of 

 one of these was found in 

 the Egyptian p\'ramids 

 where sand had drifted in 

 and accumulated. It has 

 a head and body much 

 like those of an ant-lion, 

 though \\ ith longer legs 1 



