Myrmecaelurini Esben-Petersen, 1918

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The larvae of European Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3762 (1), pp. 1-71 : 41

Tribe Myrmecaelurini Esben-Petersen, 1918

Diagnosis of 3 rd instar larva. Head capsule without prominent ocular tubercles; mandibles equipped with 3 teeth; median tooth longer than the other teeth; labial palpi four-articulated, segments 2–4 longer than the basal width of the mandible. Mesothoracic spiracles sessile. Thorax and abdomen with sessile setiferous processes. VIII abdominal sternite without odontoid processes, often equipped with digging setae; IX abdominal sternite wider than long, with prominent rastra.

Biological notes. This tribe includes both ambush hunters and pit-building species able to move both forward and backward.

Comments. Myrmecaelurini are characteristic of the steppes and deserts of the Palaearctic region while few species are reported for the Afrotropical region. The members of this tribe show a considerable variation in larval and adult characters therefore the internal relationships and with closely related tribes, such as Nesoleontini , need to be clarified.