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Mecoptera (from the Greek: mecos = "long", ptera = "wings") is an order of insects in the superorder Holometabola with about six hundred species in nine families worldwide. . Mecopterans are sometimes called scorpionflies 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
The male has a pair of claspers at the end of its tail (for holding the female during mating), [6] giving it a scorpion-like appearance, [6] although it is not a stinger. The adult insect has a wingspan of about 35 millimetres (1.4 in), [ 6 ] with wings that are mostly clear, but have many dark spots or patches.
Panorpa is a genus of scorpion-flies that is widely dispersed, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. However, they do not occur in western North America. Thirteen species occur in eastern Canada. [3] About 260 species are described as of 2018. Larvae and adults feed on carrion. [4]
The Panorpidae are a family of scorpionflies containing more than 480 species. The family is the largest family in Mecoptera, covering approximately 70% species of the order. [1] Species range between 9–25 mm long. [2] These insects have four membranous wings and threadlike antennae.
Boreidae, a family of scorpionflies known as snow fleas in the British Isles, especially: Boreus hyemalis, a species of scorpionfly that crawls on snow; Springtails of the family Hypogastruridae, like Hypogastrura nivicola, a species of springtail known as snow flea in North America, or Hypogastrura socialis from Europe and many others.
Boreidae, commonly called snow scorpionflies, or in the British Isles, snow fleas (no relation to the snow flea Hypogastrura nivicola) are a very small family of scorpionflies, containing only around 30 species, all of which are boreal or high-altitude species in the Northern Hemisphere.
Nannochoristidae is a family of scorpionflies with many unusual traits. It is a tiny, relict family with a single extant genus, Nannochorista, with eight species occurring in New Zealand, southeastern Australia, Tasmania, Argentina and Chile.
Male meadow scorpionflies provide nuptial gifts for their female counterparts. [12] [10] The gifts males provide are a series of salivary secretions and different types of carrion that the females will ingest as a nutrient source. [10] [16] In the males first generation salivary secretions are the main source of nuptial gifting. [10]