Myrmeleontini Latreille, 1802

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The larvae of European Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3762 (1), pp. 1-71 : 51

Tribe Myrmeleontini Latreille, 1802

Diagnosis of 3 rd instar larva. Head capsule without prominent ocular tubercles; mandibles equipped with three pairs of parallel teeth; external margin of the mandible provided with long setae; apical tooth longer than the median tooth; labial palpi commonly four-articulated (three-articulated in some species), segments 2–4 shorter than the basal width of the mandible. Mesothoracic spiracles not raised on tubercle, abdominal spiracles inconspicuous. Thorax and abdomen equipped with sessile setiferous processes. Metathoracic legs with a fringe of setae; VIII abdominal sternite with odontoid processes; IX with rastra and specialized digging setae.

Biological notes. Obligate pit-builders able to move only backward.

Comments. This large and widespread tribe comprises the most common pit-builder antlions. The larvae of most genera are known, appearing noticeably uniform in overall morphology ( Stange 2004).