wormlion

English

Adult Worm lion fly sucking nectar from flowers

Pit traps of a species of wormlion. The outline of a larva may be seen in some of the pits.

Alternative forms

• worm-lion
• worm lion

Etymology

From worm +‎ lion, by analogy with antlion.

Noun

wormlion (plural wormlions)

1. The larva of a vermileonid.
   • 1956, S.H.Skaife, African Insect Life:

     The worm-lion dislike a damp environment; you will never, therefore, find its pit in wet soil. For preference it chooses the loose, dusty soil beneath an overhanging rock, or on the lee side of a dense bush or hedge, where it is protected from the rain.

   • 2009, James B. Nardi, Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, page 179:

     Because larvae of antlions use a similar strategy to capture prey, the fly larvae are by analogy called wormlions. Their scientific names were also chosen to reflect their parallel lives. Antlions belong to the family Myrmeleontidae (myrmex = ant; leo = lion), and wormlions belong to the family Vermileonidae (vermi = worm; leo = lion).