Presence of populations of antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in Denmark correlates with presence of aeolian sand

ABSTRACT

Three species of Myrmeleontidae are currently known from Denmark: Myrmeleon bore, Myrmeleon formicarius and Euroleon nostras. Despite their unique and interesting life history, the faunistics of antlions in Denmark are in need of an update. Here, we primarily use the collections from the Natural Museum of Denmark and the Natural History Museum Aarhus to document the species distribution and richness. The antlion specimens were databased according to the distribution data, and distribution maps were created for each species. The maps are compared to previous analyses of Danish antlion faunistics as well as available online sources. The occurrence of the species in neighbouring countries is also considered. Identification keys to both larvae and adults of the Danish species are provided. Interspecific competition could explain why some locations only contain one species. In Denmark, there seems to be a marked correlation between the occurrence of antlions and the presence of aeolian sand. Aeolian sand is an excellent substrate for the larval funnels and is probably the core habitat of the antlion species occurring in Denmark.

KEYWORDS:

• Myrmeleontidae
• Danish faunistics
• aeolian sand

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Thomas Simonsen for giving access to the NHMA collections and commenting on an early version of the paper as well as Anders Alexander Illum for helping with the imaging equipment and how to register the specimens in the database. Thanks to Fedor Alexander Steeman for helping with Specify. Thanks to Line Kræmer for allowing us to use her live images.

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Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.