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Scientific Name
Ascaloptynx appendiculatus
Scientific Name w/ Auth.
Ascaloptynx appendiculatus (Fabricius, 1793)
Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM)
Sensitive
No
Park Accepted
Accepted
Record Status
Approved
Park Preferred Common Names
Owlfly
Park Synonyms
Taxonomic Hierarchy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Infrakingdom | Protostomia |
| Superphylum | Ecdysozoa |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Hexapoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Subclass | Pterygota |
| Infraclass | Neoptera |
| Superorder | Holometabola |
| Order | Neuroptera |
| Suborder | Myrmeleontiformia |
| Superfamily | Myrmeleontoidea |
| Family | Ascalaphidae |
| Subfamily | Haplogleniinae |
| Tribe | Verticillicerini |
| Genus | Ascaloptynx |
| Species | Ascaloptynx appendiculatus |
Occurrence
Present
Nativeness
Unknown
Abundance
Common
Abundance Notes
This primarily southern species ranges from Virginia south through Florida and west to Arizona, and into central Mexico and Baja California. (Oliver Flint, 1/25/10)
Habitat Tags
-
terrestrial
The species apparently spends most of the larval life in ground litter, though there are reports of larvae being taken on leaves. (Oliver Flint, 1/25/10)
Species Record Status Tags
- New to Park
Trophic Class Tags
-
Predator-Piercer
The larvae passes through 3 instars feeding on soft bodied insects, often as large or larger than themselves, that blunder into their open “jaws”. (Oliver Flint, 1/25/19)
Taxa Group Tags
- Insect
Taxa Subcategory Tags
- Neuroptera
Threatened Endangered Status
State Species of Concern statuses
Ozone Sensitive Status
NatureServe GRank
NatureServe SRank
Observations
0
References
Vouchers
1
External Links
0
Evidence counts shown include evidence for related synonyms.
Created By
KStraub@nps.gov
Created Date
2/12/2016 11:19:44 AM
Last Modified By
mkulick@nps.gov
Last Modified Date
10/21/2019 2:47:40 PM
Notes
In Arizona, eggs are laid in clumps surrounding small twigs from 8 to 18 inches above the ground with hatching occurring in about 2 weeks. After about a week the newly hatched larvae abandon the egg mass and walk down the twig to the ground where they disperse. A full life cycle is generally one year, though when starved it may be considerably longer. (Oliver Flint, 1/25/10)
Other Parks
