One family, Raphidiidae, and one genus, Agulla, of this order in North America. Raphidioptera was
long treated as a suborder of Neuroptera, but is now generally regarded as a separate order.

Snakeflies are predatory, both as adults and larvae. They can be quite common throughout
temperate Europe and Asia, but in North America occur exclusively in the Western United States,
namely in the Rocky Mountains and westward, including the southwestern deserts.

The characteristics that distinguish Raphidioptera from other insect orders are:
• lengthened prothorax
• head: protuding eyes, long antennae and mandibles (chewing mouthparts)
• two pairs of identical wings
• ten-segmented abdomen without cerci
• lengthened ovipositors

The etymology of the name for the order comes from the Greek "raphio", for needle, and "ptera", which means wings.

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