About Hagenomyia tristis (Walker, 1853)
Hagenomyia tristis (Walker, 1853) is an antlion species native to Africa. It is commonly called the gregarious antlion, because it often occurs in swarms that inhabit long grass growing in the shade beneath trees. The geographic distribution of this species reaches from eastern South Africa northward to Cameroon and Ethiopia, and it also occurs on the island of Madagascar. The larvae of Hagenomyia tristis construct sand pit traps that they use to capture prey. Researchers believe this species is a mimic of Banyutus lethalis, and the two species are frequently found swarming together.
