Snakeflies are a group of insects in the order Raphidioptera, which has traditionally been placed within the Neuroptera but is now generally regarded as a separate order (the traditional definition of Neuroptera included the Raphidioptera and Megaloptera; sometimes the name Neuropterida is used to refer to these three orders as a group).
Raphidioptera are characterized by having an elongate prothorax but no modification of the forelegs (as in Mantispidae). Females typically have a long ovipositor. The two extant families of snakeflies are the Raphidiidae and Inocelliidae. They are all predatory, both as adults and larvae, and in North America occur exclusively in the Western United States, but also occur throughout temperate Europe and Asia. They can be quite common.
The order contains some 150 species.
- Family Inocelliidae
- Family Raphidiidae
External links
- David R. Maddison (1995). "Raphidioptera. Snakeflies". Tree of Life Web Project. http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Raphidioptera.
Further reading
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- David Grimaldi & Michael S. Engel (2005). Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82149-5.
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