58/150: Using flying snakes to combat agricultural pests? –The family Raphidiidae
Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Raphidioptera: Raphidiidae: Agulla: Agulla adnixa (Hagen, 1861)
Fear not, these little arthropods have the potential to keep our crops healthy! The family Raphidiidae, snake flies, are closely related to the “nerve winged” insects (Neuroptera) including lacewings and antlions. Larvae in the family Raphidiidae live in the upper layers of soil in coniferous and deciduous forests, typically around the roots of herbaceous plants. Adults are identified by their 2 pairs of vein-filled wings and long necks (elongated prothorax). Both the larvae and the adults of this family are predatory. Larvae typically feed on small arthropods including mites, springtails and barklice. Adults feed on a wide range of soft bodied insects, including aphids, scales, mites, spiders and the larvae of bees, wasps, butterflies, moths and beetles. Since the family Raphidiidae are such effective predators, research is being conducted on whether they could play a role in integrated pest control particular in the northeastern part of North America. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150
Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:
Process ID: CNCSO118-14
nucleotide sequence
AACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGTGCTTGATCTGGTATGATTGGAACATCTCTAAGATTATTAATTCGTTCTGAATTAGGATCACCTGGATCCTTAATTGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATGTAATTGTTACAGCTCATGCTTTCATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTATTATAATTGGAGGTTTCGGAAATTGATTAGTACCTTTAATATTAGGAGCCCCTGATATAGCTTTTCCCCGACTTAATAATATAAGATTTTGGTTACTTCCTCCTTCTTTAATGTTACTTCTTAGAGGAAGTATAAGAGAAAGAGGTGCAGGAACAGGTTGAACAGTATACCCCCCCCTTTCATCTAATATTGCTCATGCTGGAGCATCTGTAGACTTAACTATTTTTAGTCTACATTTAGCTGGTGTTTCTTCTATTCTAGGAGCAATTAATTTTATTACAACAACTTTAAATATACGTTCTAACGGACTTACATTAGAACGAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGATCAGTAGCAATCACTGCCCTTTTATTACTTCTTTCACTA————————————————————————————————————
amino acid sequence
TLYFIFGAWSGMIGTSLSLLIRSELGSPGSLIGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFIMIFFMVMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGAPDMAFPRLNNMSFWLLPPSLMLLLSGSMSESGAGTGWTVYPPLSSNIAHAGASVDLTIFSLHLAGVSSILGAINFITTTLNMRSNGLTLERMPLFVWSVAITALLLLLSL——————————–
Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAH8627
Title Image: Specimen CNCSO118-14 – Lac La Mache, British Columbia, Canada – Collected by H.J. Teskey, July 1973
Photo Credit: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
