interesting insect
Location: St Hedwig, TX
November 11, 2011 12:38 pm
During a shed building project this appeared. It was mid-August and the middle of a drought with temps hitting 100+ every day. It alighted on a telephone pole we had just set as a corner post. The creosote apparently didn’t bother it. It was about 2.5 in or so long. What is it?
We’re outside San Antonio, TX in a farming community.
Signature: Joy
Dear Joy,
This magnificent creature is an adult Antlion in the genus Vella which we identified on BugGuide. We aren’t certain of the species and both similar looking species represented on BugGuide are found in Texas. Many folks are familiar with the larvae of Antlions which are commonly called Doodlebugs.
This can be further noted as the species Vella americana. As a point of correction, though, the larvae of this genus are not the same as doodlebugs. That name technically only applies to a single genus, Myrmeleon, as none of the others build put traps (instead, they’re active, hunting predators).