Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 31, 2026

Hemerobiiformia

The Hemerobiiformia are a suborder of insects in the order Neuroptera that include most of the lacewings, antlions and their allies. The phylogeny of the Neuroptera was explored in 2014 using mitochondrial DNA sequences. The results indicate that the traditional Hemerobiiformia are paraphyletic, meaning that not all the members of the clade are considered to belong to it, in particular since it would include all the Myrmeleontiformia, with which the Hemerobiiformia were traditionally contrasted. The Osmyloidea, usually included in Hemerobiiformia, actually seem to represent a more ancient lineage basal to Hemerobiiformia as well as Myrmeleontiformia. The broken-up group is shown in the cladogram:

Last revised
May 31, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Hemerobiiformia
Green lacewing
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Neuroptera
Suborder: Hemerobiiformia
Superfamilies

The Hemerobiiformia are a suborder of insects in the order Neuroptera that include most of the lacewings, antlions and their allies. The phylogeny of the Neuroptera was explored in 2014 using mitochondrial DNA sequences. The results indicate that the traditional Hemerobiiformia are paraphyletic, meaning that not all the members of the clade are considered to belong to it, in particular since it would include all the Myrmeleontiformia, with which the Hemerobiiformia were traditionally contrasted. The Osmyloidea, usually included in Hemerobiiformia, actually seem to represent a more ancient lineage basal to Hemerobiiformia as well as Myrmeleontiformia. The broken-up group is shown in the cladogram:12

Neuroptera

Osmylidae (large lacewings)

Hemerobiidae (brown lacewings)

Ithonidae (moth lacewings)

Chrysopidae (green lacewings) 

Mantispidae (mantidflies)

Nymphidae (split-footed lacewings)

Myrmeleontidae (antlions)

Ascalaphidae (owlflies)

Hemerobiiformia (paraphyletic)
See also

See also

References

References

External links