#1619 - Chorista sp Scorpionfly
Spoted by Ros Runciman in Dungog Common (New South Wales).
Quite an exciting observation, at least to me - Australia has very odd scorpionflies, some of which are the only surving members of very old families, and many of them are very poorly known.
Over here in Western Australia I see the larger Harpobittacus or Hangingfly species fairly often, and their behaviour is pretty well known. The Nannochoristidae, on the other hand, are a tiny Gondwana relict family of about eight species, in New Zealand, southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and Chile, and have wireworm-like aquatic larvae, uniquely with true compound eyes (unlike the larvae of any other insect). The Meropeidae or Forcepflies are even worse off, with only three species that have survived since the breakup of Pangaea - one in North America, one here in SW Australia, and one in Brazil. We have no idea where the larvae live, look like, or eat.
But the one in the photo above is from the Choristidae family. The eight species in three genera are found only in Australia, and all we know is that their larvae are found in moss beds.
