| Nemopteridae Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Nemoptera sp. - Muséum of Toulouse | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Neuroptera |
| Superfamily: | Myrmeleontoidea |
| 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.
The larvae are predators feeding on small insects including ants. The adults feed on nectar and pollen.[2]
Male nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse pheromone.[1]
- ^ a b Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. Volume 3, Insects, edited by Michael Hutchins, Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison, and Neil Schlager. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2003.
- ^ KRENN, Harald W.; GEREBEN-KRENN, Barbara-Amina; STEINWENDER, Bernhardt M.; POPOV, Alexi (2008-05-15). "Flower visiting Neuroptera: Mouthparts and feeding behaviour of Nemoptera sinuata (Nemopteridae)". European Journal of Entomology. 105 (2): 267–277. doi:10.14411/eje.2008.037. ISSN 1210-5759.