Female (no upcoiled tip of abdomen); long snout clearly visible. Somewhat weak-flying. Found in a moist thicket.
November 14 2009
Hornsby Bend
Clearwing moth?...Nope, my first encounter with a Scorpion Fly..
Scorpionfly
Panorpa nuptialis
Order Mecoptera: Family Panorpidae
group feeding on bee carcass
Southeast Metro Park,
Travis Co., Texas
29 November 2010
Scorpionfly
Panorpa nuptialis
Order Mecoptera: Family Panorpidae
Hornsby Bend,
Austin, Travis Co., Texas
13 November 2010
Scorpionfly
Panorpa nuptialis
Order Mecoptera: Family Panorpidae
Independence Park, Gonzales,
Gonzales Co., Texas
8 October 2004
Mecoptera (from the Greek: meco- = "long", -ptera = "wings") are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion. The Bittacidae, or hangingflies, are a prominent family of elongate insects known for their elaborate mating rituals, in which females choose mates based on the quality of...
