Thread Winged Lacewings

Nemopteridae, the spoonwings, are a family of neuropteran insects. They are also called thread-winged antlions. They are found in the Ethiopian, Palearctic, Australasian and Neotropical realms but absent in North America (though a fossil has been found in Colorado).^[1]

Their flight is delicate and they have a circling flight to avoid walls when they are trapped indoors. The long streamer is conspicuous when the insects are flying and these are the elongated and spatulate hindwings.

Male nemopterids have a bulla on the wing usually along the margin or wing base that is used to disperse pheromone.^[1]

Taxonomy

Chasmoptera hutti

Marquettia americana
Florissant Formation

There are two distinct subfamilies in the family Nemopteridae:

• Subfamily Crocinae, mostly nocturnal and crepuscular species with often a narrow habitat preference. They are found in arid desert zones and have a wide distribution along the southern fringes of the west Palearctic and Western Asia, as well as in dry Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australian areas.

• Afghanocroce
• Amerocroce
• Anacroce
• Apocroce
• Austrocroce
• Carnarviana
• Concroce
• †Cretocroce Lu et al. 2019 – Cenomanian Burmese amber, Myanmar
• Croce
• Dielocroce
• Josandreva
• Laurhervasia
• Moranida
• Necrophylus
• Pterocroce
• Pastranaia
• Thysanocroce
• Tjederia
• Veurise

• Subfamily Nemopterinae – diurnal, with a greater diversity. Genera include:

• Barbibucca
• Lertha
• Nemoptera
• Nemopterella

Other nemopterid genera include:

• Brevistoma
• Chasmoptera
• †Cratonemopteryx Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• Derhynchia
• Halter
• Halterina
• Knersvlaktia
• †Krika Martins-Neto 1992 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• Lertha
• Nemeura
• Nemia
• Nemopistha
• Nemopterella
• Palmipenna
• Parasicyoptera
• Pterocroce
• †Roesleriana Martins-Neto 1997 – Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• Savigniella
• Semirhynchia
• Sicyoptera
• Stenorrhachus

References