View the above photo record (by Ryan Tippett) in LacewingMAP here.
Ascalaphidae (Owlflies)
Ascalaphus bilineatus
(Kolbe, 1897)
Identification
Size: Medium sized (Wingspan 60mm)
Adults can be recognised by the pair of broad, parallel, dark brown lines on the upper thorax – hence the name “bilineatus”.
The body is predominantly orange-yellow with a checquered pattern of brown yellow and white along the abdomen. The wings are clear with a conspicuous amber-coloured leading edge.
As with other owlflies, they possess long, clubbed antennae.
Photo by Richard Johnstone
Photo by Richard Johnstone
Habitat
Ascalaphus bilineatus inhabits damp places such as moist or flooded grassland as well as marshes, floodplains and other wetlands fringes.
Photo by Ryan Tippett
Behaviour
Adults are recorded during Summer from October to April.
The winged adults are frequently flushed from long grass. They fly rapidly but will soon settle again on a grass stem in typical posture, wings pointing downwards and the abdomen held out at an angle to the grass stem.
Photo by Richard Johnstone
Eggs are laid in batches on blades of grass (about 30-35 per batch).
The larvae are sit-and-wait ambush predators and seldom move position. They take about a year to progress from egg stage to adult.
Status and Distribution
Ascalaphus bilineatus is common and widespread in the northern parts of South Africa, including Mpumalanga, KZN, North-West and Limpopo. Its range extends northwards to Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. It has also been recorded from eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).
Taxonomy:
Order: Neuroptera Family: Ascalaphidae Subfamily: Ascalaphinae Tribe: Ascalaphini Genus: Ascalaphus Species: bilineatus
Further Resources
Virtual Museum (LacewingMAP > Search VM > By Scientific or Common Name)
Acknowledgements:
The use of photographs by Richard Johnstone is acknowledged. This species text has benefited enormously from comments made by Mervyn Mansell on records he has identified in LacewingMAP. We acknowledge his important contribution.
Recommended citation format for this species text:
Tippett RM 2022. Ascalaphus bilineatus. Biodiversity and Development Institute, Cape Town.
Available online at http://thebdi.org/2023/01/12/ascalaphus-bilineatus/
Photo by Richard Johnstone
