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Owl Fly – The ‘ugly ducklings’ of insects.
The larva is quite ugly and grotesque. They are voracious predators in leaf litter and on trees. However, the adults are handsome and elegant strong-flying insects which are sometimes confused with dragonflies.

Owl Fly
ORDER : Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives.
Identification : Owlflies are readily distinguished from dragonflies because the later have short bristle-like antennae whereas the owlflies have large bulging eyes and long knobbed antennae. They are diurnal or crepuscular (active during twilight) predators of other flying insects.
Wings : Adult with two pair of transparent wings.
Mouth Parts : Adults have sucking mouthparts, Larva have chewing mouth parts.
Metamorphosis : Complete. Egg – Larva – Pupa - Adult.
Significance to Humans : They are excellent bio control agents. They feed on aphids, mites, whiteflies etc.

Owlfly – Ascalaphus dicax
They are usually yellow in colour with dark patterns. Adults in this family are from medium to large size. They have long and clubbed pear-shaped antennae. Owlflies are good fliers although they spend most of their time resting on stem. Adults are predator, hunting insects in flight.
Owlfly lays dark brown eggs in single rows. There are 3 larval instars, the larvae living on the ground surface, beneath a dust covering which conceals all but the mandibles. The pupa emerges from the cocoon by bursting it rather than by dissolving or cutting an opening.  There is one generation annually and overwintering is as active larvae.
The larvae hunt prey with their large jaw on ground and low vegetations. Their head is large with large mandibles projected forward for hunting small insects.

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