Antlion
An insect in the family Myrmeleontidae, whose predatory larvae often dig funnel-shaped sand traps to catch ants and other small prey.
Antlion larva: The predatory juvenile stage of an antlion, often equipped with broad jaws and a habit of digging sand pits. The larva, rather than the winged adult, builds the characteristic pit trap.
Myrmeleontidae: A family of lacewings whose larvae are known for predatory habits, including pit-building in many species. Antlion is the common name for insects in this family.
Animal behavior: The study of how animals act and respond to their environments. Antlion hunting provides a clear case of behavior shaped by prey and substrate.
Myrmeleon formicarius: A European antlion species whose larvae commonly construct conical sand pits to capture small arthropods. It is a familiar example of a pit-building antlion.
Pitfall trap: A trap that captures animals when they fall into a depression they cannot readily escape. The larva shapes loose sand into a pitfall that prey slide down.
Neuroptera: An order of insects that includes lacewings, antlions, and related species, often with net-veined wings. Myrmeleontidae belongs to this order of net-winged insects.
Granular convection: The separation and circulation of particles in a shaken or disturbed granular mixture. Antlion larvae flick sand to trigger grain avalanches that dislodge prey.
Myrmeleon immaculatus: A North American antlion species whose larvae build pits in sandy or fine-grained substrates. Its larvae demonstrate the pit-trapping strategy in North America.
Granular material: A collection of discrete solid particles, such as sand grains, that interact through friction and collisions. The trap works by exploiting the way loose grains move beneath struggling prey.
Complete metamorphosis: Insect development through distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. An antlion changes radically between its predatory larva and winged adult.