Aug 13, 2011
SNAKE FLY Raphidia flavipes by ©nikolarahme
Creepy Snakefly Taxonomic Features: The morphological characteristics which distinguish the order Raphidioptera from other insect orders are as follows:
neck is lengthened.
head has protuding eyes, long antennae and mandibles (chewing mouthparts).
has two pairs of identical wings.
ten-segmented abdomen without cerci.
lengthened ovipositors.
Snakeflies are predatory, both as adults and larvae. They can be quite common throughout temperate Europe and Asia, but in North America occur exclusively in the Western United States, namely in the Rocky Mountains and westward, including the southwestern deserts. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakefly
Other posts:
Snake Fly in action
Stalk-eye Fly
Giraffe Weevil
