Scorpionfly

What type of animal is a scorpionfly?

The Scorpionfly is an insect of the Panorpidae family, which is the largest family of order Mecoptra with 480 species. It is often addressed as the common Scorpionfly or Panorpa communis, and it belongs to the genus Panorpa. This genus has 260 species.

How many scorpionflies are there in the world?

The total strength of the Mecoptera order is innumerable as it is widespread. From North America to South America and from Asia to Australia, the Scorpionfly distribution has spread worldwide.

Where does a scorpionfly live?

The Scorpionflies adapt to the grassland, healthy land, moorland, fresh water, farmland, wetlands, woodland, towns, and gardens.

What is a scorpionfly’s habitat?

The Scorpionflies are known to adapt to moist environments, mosses, and a few Mecoptera flies also inhibit semi-desert habitats. The common Scorpionflies are vividly found in woodlands with broad leaves, as this Scorpionfly habitat has superabundant damp leaf litter.

Who do scorpionflies live with?The Scorpionfly families are not social and do not move in groups. They are found as solitary or in mating pairs.How long does a scorpionfly live?The Scorpionfly life cycle consists of four stages that begin with an egg’s formation. There is no recorded information on the average lifespan of these insects.How do they reproduce?The male attracts the female by flapping its wings. Once the female is submissive, it drags the abdomen of a female with the help of claspers. The male presents the female with the nuptial gift of thick saliva secretions. The mating scorpionfly feeds during the copulation time, which may last from 15 minutes to several hours. Some scorpionflies also offer dead insects or bugs as a present. Some scorpionflies emit chemical forms to grab the attention of the female.While the female inspects the offering, the male scorpionfly probes into female reproductive organs; in this process, it is most probable that the female denies the gift and flies away. If she acquires the gift, it lowers itself in an upside-down hanging position approving the copulation. During copulation, the female preys on the present, and the male holds up the female to anchor it. The mating time lasts from 15 minutes to several hours. On culmination, the female lays eggs in a moist environment.What is their conservation status?As Scorpionflies are spread in high concentrations worldwide, the conservation status of this common Scorpionfly is Least Concern.Scorpionfly Fun FactsWhat do scorpionflies look like?The Scorpionfly is an insect. It is a colorful fly. The common Scorpionfly has a yellow-black body with a reddish head. The tail of these insects is also red. The length of Scorpionfly wings is 1.4 inches, slightly more significant than the total length of its body. The Scorpion insect attained its significance and name due to the anatomy of the genus Panorpa. The male insects have genitals at the end of their tail, which replicates scorpion stingers. These are called claspers. The abdomen of a male Scorpion fly is swollen, and the swelling is referred to as a genital capsule. The female Scorpionfly abdomen is comparatively slim.The Scorpionfly has four membranaceous wings and filamentous antennae. Their prolonged head is signified with mouthparts like a beak. It has large eyes. Their abdomen is cylindrical with 11 segments. In the Scorpionfly males, the swollen abdomen is curved upwards that looks like a scorpion-like tail.

How cute are they?

This species creates curiosity in its appearance. Their scorpion-like tail allures the human eye. But the Scorpionfly stings are not poisonous, indicating that these flies are cute but not harmful.

How do they communicate?

The Scorpionflies are not social animals. But they are very expressive while communicating during mating. There is significant diversity in the male’s mating techniques. The Scorpionflies communication includes emitting chemical signals, offering nuptial presents, flapping wings, and waving with antennae. In some of the Scorpionfly groups, the males even dance to attract female attention.

How big is a scorpionfly?

The common Scorpionflies are 0.1-1.4 inches. Its length is relatively equal to that of a medium-sized Mecoptera order insect.

How fast can a scorpionfly fly?

The locomotion of a scorpionfly is flying short distances. Despite having two pairs of wings, the Scorpionfly takes a slow flight with variable patterns. The Scorpionfly can fly at a speed of 1.1 mph.

How much does a scorpionfly weigh?

The exact weight of Mecoptera is unknown. However, they are small to medium-sized insects with long slender bodies and short membranous wings that resemble flies.

What do they eat?

The Scorpionflies prey on dead insects, insects trapped in spider webs, petals, leaves. The Scorpionfly diet also includes decaying vegetation.

Are they dangerous?

These flies do not bite; hence the Scorpionfly sting or bite is harmless to humans. Quite contrary to the scary appearance of Scorpionfly tails, they are not dangerous.

Did you know…

Scorpionflies play a prominent role in forensic entomology, revealed a study related to the developmental stages of arthropods on the corpse, as these flies are the first ones to arrive at it.

The mating process of the Scorpion fly is the most dreadful and aggressive. There are fair chances of the female killing the male during the aggressive copulation.

Even the Scorpionfly larvae can feed on a dead insect. If the hot conditions of the habitat are not favorable, these flies choose to remain in the current state of egg or pupa even for several months.

The flies of the Panorpa species are predatory during the day and can be opportunistic hunters during the dark.

SOURCE: KIDADL.COM