Raphidioptera

a class of insects of the order Neuroptera. Length, 15-20 mm. Their wings are transparent, and when at rest they lie rooflike over the body. The females have a long ovipositor. The prothorax is greatly extended and twisted, curved like the neck of a camel (hence the Russian name verbliudki, “camel flies”). There are about 100 species distributed in the northern hemisphere. Raphidioptera are predatory and are useful in forestry: the larvae live in cracks of tree bark and under the bark of trees and feed on various herbivorous insects, primarily the larvae of bark beetles. In dry forests Raphidioptera larvae inhabit the forest floor and the upper soil layer, where they also pupate. Raphidioptera pupae can crawl very quickly. In the USSR, Raphidia flavipes, R. ophiopsis, and Águlla xanthostigma are common.