Owlfly Temporal range:
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both female Libelloides macaronius Istria, Croatia | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Neuroptera |
Clade: | Myrmeleontiformia |
Family: | Ascalaphidae Rambur, 1842 |
Subfamilies[1] | |
and see text |
Ascalaphidae is a family of insects in the order Neuroptera, commonly called owlflies; there are some 450 extant species. They are fast-flying crepuscular or diurnal predators of other flying insects, and have large bulging eyes and strongly knobbed antennae. The larvae are ambush predators; some of them make use of self-decoration camouflage.