Scorpion flies

Scorpionflies are members of the Mecoptera are named after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals raised over the body that look similar to the stingers of scorpions, and long beaklike rostra used for feeding. Although the “sting” looks impressive it is totally harmless

Scorpionflies, family Panorpidae, generally live in broad-leaf woodlands with plentiful damp leaf litter. They mostly breed among mosses, in leaf litter and other moist places, but their reproductive habits have been little studied, and at least one species, Nannochorista philpotti, has aquatic larvae.

Adult mecopterans are mostly scavengers, feeding on decaying vegetation and the soft bodies of dead invertebrates. They are also important insects in forensic science as they are often some of the first insects to invade corpses. Panorpa also raid spider webs to feed on trapped insects and even the spiders themselves. Some groups consume pollen, nectar, midge larvae, carrion and moss fragments.

The order Mecoptera are an extremely ancient group of insects, persisting relatively unchanged for more than 250 million years. The earliest fossils, predating the age of the dinosaurs, already show a close resemblance to modern-day species, and, as the apparent ancestor of butterflies, moths, true flies and fleas, the group occupies an important place in the history of insect evolution.