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Photo: G. Bradley
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UK
Safari Tip:
A great way to see all the details on these insects and other small
creatures is with a special magnifier box - click
here
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Latin name: Panorpa communis
Size: Wingspan approx 35mm
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: May to September.
Habitat: Hedgerows and nettle beds.
Food: Mostly of dead insects, which they frequently steal from the webs of spiders.
Special features: Scorpion flies belong to an ancient group of insects known as
'Mecopterans' which can be traced back more than 250 million years. It is believed that butterflies and many other species of insect evolved from their ancestors.
Their heads are extended into a beak-like shape, and their tiny jaws are situated at the end.
The name scorpionfly comes from the shape of the males tail, resembling that of a scorpion. Despite the appearance, they are perfectly harmless, and don't sting. The tip of the tail has a pair of claspers which he uses when mating with the female.
Mating usually occurs at night. It can be a dangerous time for the male, if he is not careful the female might decide to kill him! To avoid this he presents her with a gift of a drop of saliva, which in the world of scorpion flies, is the equivalent of a bunch of roses or a box of
chocolates.
The eggs are deposited in the soil. The larvae which emerge rrom the eggs are caterpillar-like and live on the soil surface. They pupate in cells in the soil before emerging as adults. Only one generation occurs each year.
You'll often find scorpion flies in hedgerows and among nettle beds or brambles.
They like to rest on the surface of leaves in dense shade. Although easily disturbed, their flight is quite weak, and normally brief.
UK Safari Creepy-Crawlies Section
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