Owlfly vs Italian Owlfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Owlfly Italian Owlfly
Scientific Name Libelloides coccajus Libelloides italicus
Order Neuroptera Neuroptera
Family Ascalaphidae Ascalaphidae
Size 25-30 mm body, 50 mm wingspan 20-25 mm body, 45-50 mm wingspan
Habitat Meadows Grasslands
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe Southern Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Owlfly

Dragonfly-like neuropterans with large eyes and clubbed antennae. Fast aerial predators that catch prey in flight. Often found in Mediterranean meadows at dusk.

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Did You Know?

Owlflies look like a hybrid between a dragonfly and a butterfly — they have large dragonfly-like eyes with striking clubbed antennae found nowhere else in the insect world.

Italian Owlfly

A handsome owlfly with distinctive half-black, half-yellow hindwings. It is an agile predator of small flying insects in Mediterranean regions.

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Did You Know?

Males perform aerial territorial displays, chasing rivals in spiraling flight patterns.