Neuropterida

Definition

A clade of holometabolous insects comprising the orders Neuroptera (lacewings and antlions), Megaloptera (dobsonflies and alderflies), and Raphidioptera (snakeflies). Together these three orders share derived wing venation patterns with dense net-like crossveins, elongated prothoraxes in adults, and predatory larvae with piercing-sucking mouthparts. The group contains approximately 5,700 described species and is placed at superorder rank within the infraclass Neoptera, though some classifications treat it as an unranked clade.

Etymology

From Neuroptera (the type order, from Greek neuron 'nerve, sinew' + pteron 'wing') + Latin -ida, a suffix denoting a group or lineage.

Example

The green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (order Neuroptera) and the dobsonfly Corydalus cornutus (order Megaloptera) both belong to the clade Neuropterida, sharing the diagnostic trait of wings with extensive reticulate venation.

Synonyms

• Neuropteroidea

Related Terms

• Neuroptera
• Megaloptera
• Raphidioptera
• Holometabola
• Endopterygota
• reticulate venation
• lacewing
• antlion
• snakefly

Usage Notes

The rank of Neuropterida varies among classifications: treated as superorder in some systems, as an unranked clade in others. The constituent orders were historically grouped together as 'Planipennia' or 'Neuroptera sensu lato,' but modern phylogenetics supports their separation into three distinct orders united within Neuropterida. The clade is sister to Coleopterida (beetles and strepsipterans) within the larger clade Neuropteroidea.