Hemerobiiformia

Definition

A suborder of Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions, and allies) comprising the superfamilies Chrysopoidea (green and brown lacewings), Coniopterygoidea (dustywings), Hemerobioidea (brown lacewings), Ithonioidea, and Mantispoidea (mantidflies). Traditionally contrasted with Myrmeleontiformia (antlions, owlflies, and allies), but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown the group to be paraphyletic in its classic circumscription because it would include all Myrmeleontiformia; the Osmyloidea (spoonwings) appear to represent a more basal lineage outside both groups. The name persists in taxonomic literature but now carries explicit phylogenetic caveats.

Etymology

From Hemerobius (type genus of brown lacewings, from Greek hēmerobios 'living but a day') + Latin -iformia 'having the form of'

Example

The Hemerobiiformia include the economically important Chrysopidae (green lacewings), whose larvae are voracious predators of aphids and other soft-bodied crop pests; however, phylogenomic analyses now place the antlion-like Myrmeleontiformia nested within the traditional Hemerobiiformia, rendering the latter paraphyletic unless redefined.

Related Terms

• Myrmeleontiformia
• Neuroptera
• paraphyly
• Osmyloidea
• Chrysopidae
• Hemerobiidae
• Mantispidae
• Neuropterida

Usage Notes

Use with caution in modern phylogenetic contexts: the 2014 mitochondrial DNA study by Winterton et al. demonstrated that traditional Hemerobiiformia is paraphyletic. Some current treatments restrict Hemerobiiformia to a monophyletic core (excluding Myrmeleontiformia and Osmyloidea), while others abandon the suborder rank entirely in favor of a flattened superfamilial classification. Always specify which circumscription is intended. The Osmyloidea, historically placed here, are now treated as sister to the remaining Neuroptera or as a separate basal lineage.