Snakefly

Snakefly Temporal range: Lower Jurassic – Recent
Female Dichrostigma flavipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Infraclass:	Neoptera
Order:	Raphidioptera Handlirsch, 1908
Synonyms
Raphidiodea

The Snakeflies (Raphidioptera) are a small order of Endopterygote insects. They are closely related to the Megaloptera and Neuroptera.^[1]

There are about 210 living species. They are easily recognized by their small head and long 'neck', which is actually the elongated prothorax.

The snakefly, about 15 mm (0.6 inch) long, has two pairs of similar, net-veined wings, long antennae, and chewing mouthparts. The female lays eggs with a long ovipositor.

1. ↑ Jepson, J.E.; Jarzembowski, E.A. (2008). "Two new species of snakefly (Insecta:Raphidioptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of England and Spain with a review of other fossil raphidiopterans from the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition" (PDF). Alavesia. 2: 193–201. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-06-10.