Banyutus lethalis

Banyutus lethalis · Order: Neuroptera · Family: Myrmeleontidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Banyutus lethalis
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY

Banyutus lethalis was first described in 1853. It can be recognized by its longer antennae and a bicoloured pterostigma. The insects fly together in long grass and are thought to mimic the African antlion Hagenomyia tristis.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Longer antennae and a bicoloured pterostigma distinguish it.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

It was first described by Francis Walker in 1853.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It flies gregariously through long grass.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Banyutus lethalis photo 2
Photo: desertnaturalist, CC BY
Banyutus lethalis photo 3
Photo: Andrew Hankey, CC BY-SA
Banyutus lethalis photo 4
Photo: Wynand Uys, CC BY
Banyutus lethalis photo 5
Photo: desertnaturalist, CC BY

Questions people ask

How can I identify Banyutus lethalis?

Look for longer antennae and a bicoloured pterostigma.

Source: Wikipedia

Where does Banyutus lethalis live?

It flies in groups through long grass.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Myrmeleontidae)

Four-spotted antlionFour-spotted antlionDistoleon tetragrammicusSpotted-wing antlionSpotted-wing antlionEuroleon nostrasImmaculate AntlionImmaculate AntlionMyrmeleon immaculatusAnt-lionAnt-lionMyrmeleon formicariusGrand AntlionGrand AntlionPalpares libelluloidesGregarious AntlionGregarious AntlionHagenomyia tristis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banyutus_lethalis

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.