Raphidioptera
Guides
Agulla
Common Snakeflies
Agulla is a genus of modern snakeflies (Raphidiidae) characterized by an elongated prothorax that creates a distinct "neck" appearance. These predatory insects inhabit wooded areas and are associated with tree bark. The genus belongs to an order considered living fossils, with modern species closely resembling Jurassic-era relatives from 140 million years ago.
Agulla unicolor
Agulla unicolor is a species of snakefly (order Raphidioptera) in the family Raphidiidae, described by Carpenter in 1936. The species epithet "unicolor" refers to its uniform coloration. Snakeflies are predatory insects characterized by their elongated prothorax that gives them a distinctive 'necked' appearance. As a member of the genus Agulla, this species occurs in North America where it inhabits wooded environments. The larvae and adults are both predatory, feeding on small arthropods.
Alena
snakefly
Alena is a genus of snakeflies (order Raphidioptera) in the family Raphidiidae. These insects are characterized by their elongated prothorax that gives them a snake-like appearance. All species in this genus are predatory throughout their life cycle. The genus occurs in southwestern North America and parts of Mexico.
Alena minuta
Alena minuta is a species of snakefly in the family Raphidiidae, first described by Banks in 1903. The species is known from North America. Snakeflies (order Raphidioptera) are predatory insects characterized by an elongated prothorax that gives them a distinctive 'necked' appearance. As a member of the genus Alena, this species belongs to a group of small to medium-sized snakeflies.
Inocelliidae
Inocelliidae is a family of snakeflies, a small group of predatory insects in the order Raphidioptera. Living inocelliids are recognized as slender, long-winged insects with an elongated, mobile prothorax; the family also has a fossil record extending back to the Eocene. Family-level identification is especially useful because individual species can resemble other snakeflies. A practical first distinction is that inocelliids lack the simple eyes called ocelli found in the other living snakefly family, Raphidiidae.
Inocelliidae
Square-headed Snakeflies, inocelliid snakeflies
Inocelliidae is a small family of snakeflies (order Raphidioptera) containing eight extant genera plus fossil taxa. Members are commonly known as square-headed snakeflies due to their distinctive head shape. The family is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, with extant species found in temperate forests of Eurasia and North America. Inocelliidae are holometabolous predators with larvae that inhabit bark and wood of coniferous and deciduous trees, where they prey on other insects. The family includes notable fossil representatives such as Fibla carpenteri from Baltic amber, the largest known snakefly species.
Mesoraphidiidae
Mesoraphidiidae is an extinct family of snakeflies known from Jurassic and Cretaceous fossils. The record includes both compression fossils and insects preserved in amber, with finds across parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Members had the elongated prothorax associated with the snakefly body profile. Fossil evidence suggests a tree-associated lifestyle, but details vary among genera and remain dependent on preservation.
Nanosialidae
Nanosialidae is a fossil family of very small winged insects known from Permian material. GBIF records four extinct genera Hymega, Lydasialis, Nanosialis, and Raphisialis and the Poldarsa Formation in Russia. Described by Dmitry Shcherbakov in 2013, its placement is debated: GBIF's match places it in Megaloptera, while another treatment regards the fossils as stem-group Raphidioptera.
Negha
American Square-headed Snakeflies
Negha is a genus of snakeflies in the family Inocelliidae, commonly known as American Square-headed Snakeflies. The genus contains at least three described species: N. inflata, N. longicornis, and N. meridionalis. Members of this genus are characterized by their distinctive square-shaped head capsules, a trait that distinguishes them within the order Raphidioptera. These insects are predatory as adults and larvae, feeding on other small arthropods.
Negha meridionalis
Negha meridionalis is a species of square-headed snakefly described by U. Aspöck in 1988. It belongs to the family Inocelliidae, one of two families within the order Raphidioptera. The species is known from North America, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain poorly documented.
Raphidiidae
Raphidiidae is a family of predatory insects commonly called snakeflies. Its members are placed in the order Raphidioptera, and the family includes the type genus Raphidia along with many other genera. Adults are slender, winged insects with a conspicuously elongated, mobile prothorax; larvae are also predators. The family is associated with temperate regions, especially wooded habitats, but the exact ecology and range vary among its genera and species.