Acalypha - Chaara Acalypha
Ascalaphus varius - Libelloides macaronius Scop.
It is commonly referred to as "club-tailed." Ascalaphids are large insects resembling butterflies. The body length is 25-30 mm, and the wingspan is 35-40 mm. Their antennae have a club at the tip and are slightly longer than the body. The wings are yellow, transparent at the tips, with dark spots. It combines morphological features of a butterfly, dragonfly, and beetle: its head has club-shaped antennae like those of day-flying butterflies; the wings resemble those of dragonflies with a net-like venation, adorned with bright yellow and black spots; and the legs are like those of a beetle, with grasping claws. However, despite these external features, the ascalaphid is still a representative of the Neuroptera order. Adult individuals have two pairs of transparent wings with numerous longitudinal and transverse veins, i.e., with very rich net-like venation, from which their name "net-winged" derives. Their mouthparts are of the chewing type, and they have large eyes.
The population is localized: ascalaphids inhabit limited areas of dry steppes, fallow lands, or slopes of ravines. Their habitats are well-lit edges and clearings of broadleaf forests and shrubs in steppe areas. Adult insects are good fliers (the best flyers among all net-winged insects), usually at a height of 2-3 m, from late June to July. They feed on both small butterflies and pollen.
The female attaches her eggs directly to the leaves of plants. The larvae are active predators, although they are slow. They have soft bodies covered with warts, tubercles, and long hairs. Their larvae externally resemble antlion larvae but are more flattened. The larvae move slowly on the ground and, upon encountering an insect, suck its juices using their specially adapted mouthparts. Long mandibles, together with the maxillae, form two channels through which digestive juices are injected into the prey, followed by the sucking of the food pulp.
The larvae live under stones, where they hunt insects. Unlike antlion larvae, they do not construct funnels. After sucking the juices from an insect, the empty skin is worn on their bodies. Soon, they become covered with the skins of their victims. A similar behavior is observed in lacewings. After feeding, the larva transforms into a pupa, remaining in this state for up to 3 weeks, before turning into an adult ascalaphid.
The fate of the ascalaphid is not simple: due to human development of the steppe and low-mountain zones, plowing of fields, use of chemicals, and the establishment of gardens and vineyards on mountain slopes, their living conditions are deteriorating. Therefore, the population of Ascalaphus varius is decreasing.
Distribution: Western and Inner Tien Shan, the Pre-Fergana regions of Kyrgyzstan
Insects of Kyrgyzstan
