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.
Raphidioptera snakefly living-fossil predator woodland bark-dwelling
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.
snakefly Raphidioptera predator North-America woodland
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.
snakefly Raphidioptera predatory-insect North-American-endemic
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.
snakefly Raphidioptera Raphidiidae predatory-insect North-America Banks-1903 small-size
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-fly Tabanidae Diptera medical-entomology oviposition fecundity ring-clawed-deer-fly Vermont United-States mud-substrate gelatinous-egg-mass Chrysopsinae Chrysopsini Walker-1848 iNaturalist laboratory-rearing egg-mass 156-eggs range-42-312 near-water mud-like-substrate egg-deposition reproduction behavioral-study medical-entomology-research insect-vectors biting-flies tabanid-flies horse-flies deer-flies Chrysops North-America New-England observation-records synonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Life accepted-status-in-GBIF arthropod insect fly Brachycera Tabanomorpha Hexapoda Pterygota Animalia Arthropoda Insecta cincticornis Chrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848 Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornis deerfly horsefly tabanid biting-fly vector oviposition-behavior fecundity-study Journal-of-Medical-Entomology 1982 10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597 gelatinous-secretion mud water laboratory-conditions mean-fecundity egg-production reproductive-biology entomology insect-behavior insect-reproduction dipteran true-fly two-winged-fly nematoceran Cyclorrhapha Aschiza Schizophora Acalyptratae Calyptratae Oestroidea Muscoidea Hippoboscoidea Glossinidae Calliphoridae Sarcophagidae Muscidae Fanniidae Anthomyiidae Scathophagidae Oestridae Tachinidae Siphonaptera Phthiraptera Hemiptera Coleoptera Lepidoptera Hymenoptera Neuroptera Megaloptera Raphidioptera Trichoptera Strepsiptera Mecoptera Diplura Protura Collembola Zygentoma Archaeognatha Ephemeroptera Odonata Plecoptera Grylloblattodea Mantophasmatodea Phasmatodea Orthoptera Dermaptera Embioptera Zoraptera Isoptera Blattodea Mantodea Phyllodocida Notoptera Walker 1848 species taxon gelatinous habitat distribution GBIF Catalogue-of-Life NCBI laboratory-study behavior life-cycle substrate mud-like mean range 42-312 female observation record specimen collection museum research study article abstract DOI biology ecology horse-fly accepted synonym taxonomy classification US 291-observations laboratory 291-iNaturalist-observations GBIF-distribution-records accepted-species-status synonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life 156-eggs-mean-fecundity range-42-312-eggs 1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publication DOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597 entomology-research dipteran-biology
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.
snakefly Raphidioptera predator forest-insect bark-inhabitant biocontrol relictual holometabolous palearctic nearctic Baltic-amber-fossil
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.
Raphidioptera Inocelliidae predatory-insects North-American-fauna
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.
snakefly square-headed-snakefly Raphidioptera Inocelliidae North-American-endemic