Owlfly.png

Owlflies (Ascalaphidae) are large insects, many of which resemble dragonflies (although they are only distantly related to them). The larvae are ambush predators that can be helpful in the garden.

Some species of owlflies prefer to live in the leaf litter where they forage for food.

Description[edit | edit source]

Owlflies grow to about 3 to 5cm or 1 to 2 inches in length. They have large eyes, a long abdomen and long antennae that end in a small ball or club-like shape. These insects have wings with net-like veins.

The larvae tend to camouflage well and look like leaves, twigs and vegetation. This enables them to lie in wait for their prey.

Adult owlflies eat flying insects. Many species of owlflies will catch the prey while flying themselves.

This owlfly likes to live in the leaf litter.
FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Authors Felicity
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 0 pages link here
Impact 157 page views (more)
Created February 15, 2016 by Felicity
Last modified March 2, 2022 by Page script
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.