Antlion Euroleon nostras

Suffolk Priority Species

The Antlion (Euroleon nostras) is one of Britain's most extraordinary insects and, until relatively recently, was considered absent from the country entirely. The larvae are celebrated for excavating small conical pit-traps in loose, dry sand, in which ants and other small invertebrates become entrapped and are seized from below. Britain's only known breeding population is confined to the open, sandy Breckland of Suffolk and Norfolk – making Suffolk of outstanding national importance for this species. Adults are nocturnal and superficially resemble damselflies. The maintenance of open, bare, dry sand in sheltered, sun-warmed locations is essential for the larvae, and the species is a flagship for Breckland open-ground conservation. Image: © Pete Etheridge, Flickr.

Find out more: iNaturalist, RSPB – Antlion blog post