The Raphidioptera, or snakeflies, are virtually restricted to the Holarctic region. They are easily identified by their general appearance, have an elongate head and prothorax, with the legs arising posteriorly (Fig. 64). The females have a long ovipositor. There are two families which have similar biologies. The larvae usually live in the crevices in the bark of trees or shrubs, or in the superficial stratum of the soil around the roots of shrubs. The pupae are strange in that they can move about in their environment. Most of the taxonomy is based on the male and female terminalia.
A snakefly, Agulla bicolor (Albarda) (Raphidioptera: Raphidiidae) (photo L. Buss).
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Reference
Aspöck H, Aspöck U, Rausch H (1991) Die Raphidiopteren der Erde. Eine monographische Darstellung der Systematik, Taxonomie, Biologie, ökologie und Chorologie der rezenten Raphidiopteren der Erde, mit einer zusammenfassenden übersicht der fossilen Raphidiopteren (Insecta:Neuropteroidea), 2 volumes. Goecke & Evrs, Krefeld. 730 and 550 pp
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Stange, L. (2008). Snakeflies (Raphidioptera). In: Capinera, J.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Entomology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_4246
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