Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Allies

Order Mecoptera

The Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Allies (Order Mecoptera) includes 89 species across 6 families and 10 genera in our directory.

About Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Allies

Mecoptera (scorpionflies) includes ~600 described species. Males of many species have an upturned abdomen tip resembling a scorpion's stinger, but they are completely harmless. Mecoptera are among the oldest insect orders with fossils dating to the Permian period (~270 million years ago).

Economic Impact

Scorpionflies have little direct economic impact but are valuable research subjects - they are considered ancestral to fleas and possibly to all holometabolous insects (those with complete metamorphosis).

Ecological Role

Scorpionflies are primarily scavengers feeding on dead insects and decaying organic matter. Some species practice 'nuptial gifting' - males offer prey items or salivary secretions to females as mating gifts.

Families in Mecoptera (6)

Species in Mecoptera (89)

Bittacus stigmaterus

Bittacidae

Identification: Yellowish with black eyes, head small; thorax large, humped. Wings: All equal in size, extending past tip of abdomen. Pale yellowish. Stigma just before wing tip, darker yellow. Crossveins are not darker. Types: Holotype as Bittacus s

Brachypanorpa carolinensis

Panorpodidae

Identification: Description (Carpenter, 1931): Male. - Body light brown, legs and antennae darker; genital bulb rounded; hypovalvae fused for half their lengths; teeth of forceps directed downward; rostrum broad, apical incision shallow; no ocellar s

Dinokanaga andersoni

Dinopanorpidae

Identification: D. andersoni , a large fossil Mecopteran, can be distinguished from other Dinokanaga species by the forewing being narrower in the preserved regions (basal third, apical portion), others widening more rapidly from base. Present image

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Dinokanaga dowsonae

Dinopanorpidae

Identification: D. dowsonae can be distinguished from other species of this genus by its forewings: from D. hillsi and D. wilsoni by its penniform (featherlike) shape, narrow at the base and widest toward the tip; from D. andersoni by greater width;

Forcepfly

Merope tuber

Meropeidae

Identification: Appearance unique; body rather flattened, yellowish-brown; wings divided into many rectangular cells by numerous cross-veins; male with elongate, slender clasping structures at end of abdomen; female abdomen shorter, tapering to narro

Hylobittacus apicalis

Bittacidae

Identification: Diurnal, rests with wings outspread, and has black wingtips.

Mid-winter Boreus

Boreus brumalis

Boreidae

Identification: Legs, antennae, eyes, rostrum dull black; abdomen shiny blackish-green with light brown lateral stripes; ovipositor shiny black; rudimentary wings in male brownish-black; in female, the tiny wingpads are barely visible as two minute g

Mourning Scorpionfly

Panorpa lugubris

Panorpidae

Identification: wings distinctive (black with white bands/spots) locally common

Nuptial Scorpionfly

Panorpa nuptialis

Panorpidae

Identification: Large for this genus. Wings distinctive, heavily marked with broad dark bands in ( 3 ) , the name of the author is misspelled and the range is erroneously described

Panorpa acuta

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color clear, crossveins margined; apical band broken up with small pale spots; pterostigmal band broken, indistinct; marginal spots absent

Panorpa americana

Panorpidae

Identification: The only American species with complete wing bands having clean (non-ragged) edges on a hyaline (clear, not colored) background. (Joshua Jones, 9.i.2008)

Panorpa banksi

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color usually clear (some specimens have faint yellow wing membranes), crossveins margined; apical band dark brown; pterostigmal band broken into small dark brown spots; marginal spots absent

Panorpa claripennis

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color clear, crossveins lightly margined, apical band dark brown, broken posteriorly; pterostigmal band brown, continuous; basal band reduced to two large spots; marginal spots absent common; appears earlier in the year th

Panorpa debilis

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color clear, crossveins margined; apical band dark brown, broad anteriorly, narrow posteriorly, sometimes interrupted with clear spots; pterostigmal band brown, continuous; marginal spots absent

Panorpa galerita

Panorpidae

Identification: wings with clear background color, crossveins not margined; apical band dark brown, usually continuous but sometimes with clear spots on posterior part; pterostigmal band brown, continuous; marginal spots absent

Panorpa latipennis

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color clear, crossveins margined; apical band broken, with pale brown and clear spots; pterostigmal band broad anteriorly, narrow posteriorly, interrupted by clear spots (such as large oval spot near costa); marginal spots

Panorpa mirabilis

Panorpidae

Identification: wing background clear, crossveins not margined; apical band dark brown and continuous; pterostigmal band pale to dark brown, continuous; marginal spots absent

Panorpa nebulosa

Panorpidae

Identification: wing background clear, crossveins lightly margined; apical band reduced to many small pale spots; pterostigmal band forked but not continuous, broken posteriorly with pale spots; first and second marginal spots absent

Panorpa neglecta

Panorpidae

Identification: wing ground color pale yellow, crossveins not margined; apical band brown, usually continuous but sometimes with 1 or 2 clear spots; pterostigmal band brown, continuous, sometimes forked; marginal spots absent

Panorpa subfurcata

Panorpidae

Identification: wing background clear, crossveins not margined; apical band dark brown, broad anteriorly and narrowed posteriorly, sometimes interrupted with clear spots; pterostigmal band brown, continuous and usually forked; marginal spots variable

Panorpa submaculosa

Panorpidae

Identification: forewing background clear, and crossveins margined; apical band brown to dark brown, broken up into spots; pterostigmal band dark brown, not continuous; first marginal spot and second marginal spot absent

Red Scorpionfly

Panorpa rufa

Panorpidae

Identification: Relatively uncommon; closely related to P. nuptialis and P. lugubris . The Y-shaped subapical band distinguishes it from P. nuptialis . (Joshua Jones, pers. comm. 1/9/2008)

Snow-born Boreus

Boreus nivoriundus

Boreidae

Identification: Adapted from Asa Fitch's original 1847 description: head, eyes, antennae black; rostrum brown with black tip; side of thorax black; top of thorax varying from brown to cinnamon except basal half of prothorax black; abdomen varies from