Talk:Antlion
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Antlion is included in the 2006 Wikipedia CD Selection, or is a candidate for inclusion in the next version. Please maintain high quality standards and, if possible, stick to GFDL-compatible images. |
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[edit] How named?
How did they get their name? They don't look like lions... --Abdull 21:56, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
I'm sure they're named after the mythological ant-lion, which has a lion's head. I'm trying to find the article about said creature... let's see..
[edit] Star Wars
I can't help but wonder if the Ant Lion was the inspiration for the Sarlaac pits in Star Wars? Stovetopcookies 06:00, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Because the author is English?
"The best-known European species, Myrmeleon formicarius, adults of which may be found in the late summer, occurs in many countries on the European continent, though like the rest of this group it is not indigenous in England. Strictly speaking, however, the term antlion applies to the larval form, which has been known scientifically for over two hundred years, on account of its peculiar and forbidding appearance and its skilful and unusual (though not unique) manner of entrapping prey by means of a pitfall."
Sorry, why is it significant that they are not indigenous in England? Fearwig 05:58, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
- Okay, there's a link at the bottom indicating that there is some variety of ant lion in Britain--however, this does not come forth in the beginning of the article. It seems to me as though some editing has taken that bit out, leaving us with a paragraph more confusing and less informative. Fearwig 06:03, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
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- The para definetly seemed to be the product of an edit conflict. Didnt make sense to the flow. I've moved it up a bit. Kept the important comment about the larve refered to as antlion, but left out the english species. Couldnt find a place in the article for it. It seemed like a hanging piece of information. Maybe someone can add a section called "common species" or something --Viren 11:42, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Unusual anatomical features
According to ant lion. Insects on the coast. National Trust (2006). :
- Unusually the ant lion digests it food so well that almost no solid waste is generated, so there is no need for an anus.
Should this be mentioned here? Or is this not specific to this one family? Uncle G 14:25, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Size of pit traps
"An average-sized larva digs a pit about 2 inches deep and 3 inches wide at the edge."
As someone whos been a regular visitor to a game reserve, ive seen these pits many,many times. No ways have i ever seen pits this big!! (then again, as a non american, i dont use the imperial system.) Maybe american antlions dig that deep, but ive rarely seen traps approach that size. Can someone clarify this with regard to antlions from the rest of the world?
Isn't it also better to give both imperial & metric measurements, to leave no room for confusion? (I noticed the first para gives wingspan lengths in cm. Not very encyclopedic, IMHO.)
oops,forgot to sign!:--Shado.za 10:45, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Video
I have a video of an antlion digging a pit. It's not great quality, but it's good enough. Is there any interest in it? I can't upload mpgs, so it would need to be linked somehow. Any recommendations on how to do this? Email me at meqme@daughqtersoftireqsias.org (remove qs to despammify). -- Rei 04:21, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
