antlion

/ ˈæntˌlaɪən /

noun

1. Also calledantlion fly any of various neuropterous insects of the family Myrmeleontidae, which typically resemble dragonflies and are most common in tropical regions
2. Also called (US)doodlebug the larva of this insect, which has very large jaws and buries itself in the sand to await its prey

Example Sentences

Except that this bug, with its nearly two-inch wingspan, was way too big to be an antlion.

From New York Times

In their scenario — based on the marginal value theorem, often used in ecology to model foraging behavior — the bird visits a patch of antlion pits and pecks the larvae out, but sometimes drops them.

From New York Times

The team placed single trap-jaw ants into plastic cups filled with 4 cm of sand and a 1-cm-long burrowing insect with large jaws—known as an antlion—at the bottom.

From Science Magazine

To test this idea, the two biologists and their colleague Alan Worley simulated a hypothetical antlion community menaced by a bird.

From New York Times

If the downtime of a given antlion larva was predictable, predators “could perhaps learn some patterns,” Dr. Sendova-Franks said.

From New York Times