#scorpionflies

The mourning scorpionfly (Panorpa lugubris) ❤️

There's a part of my favorite haunt which occasionally spawns one or more of these silly Snootflies in my path. Didn't see many this year, but this little man put on a show.

Of course!

Going to be talking about and sharing images of various insects. You have been notified.

String identified:

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Closest match: Panorpa germanica genome assembly, chromosome: 1 Common name: German Scorpionfly

Scorpionflies (order Mecoptera) in genus Panorpa Top two are female; bottom is a male Pennsylvania, US

Oh hey, look a bug!

It's probably a bug.

In fact its a snow scorpion fly a strange little insect, distantly related to fleas. These bugs are active in much cooler temperatures then most other insects sometimes into the middle of winter if the weather is cool enough. They feed on moss and can be quite locally common if you find the right area. If they feel threatened they will launch themselves backwards and then play dead for a couple seconds. I watched them do this several times well i was photographing them. Very cute.

Fast Fauna Facts #24 - Snow Scorpionfly (Boreus hyemalis)

Family: Snow Scorpionfly Family (Boreidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Most scorpionfly species are winged and (in males) possess long, flexible tails resembling scorpion stingers, but in this rarely-spotted terrestrial scorpionfly native to cold regions of northern and western Europe neither are present. In place of their wings Snow Scorpionflies have developed powerful hindlimbs that allow them to jump impressive distances (earning them the alternative name of "snow fleas" in parts of their range,) and as adults of this species are active only for a brief period in their range's late autumn/fall and early winter they use this ability to move across snow and hard frozen ground in search of food (mainly rotting plant matter, as the scarcity of other insects during the winter makes the carnivorous diet seen in most scorpionflies impractical.) Female Snow Scorpionflies (which can be distinguished from males by the spike-like ovipositors/egg laying "tubes" that extend from their abdomens) lay their eggs among dense moss, with their larvae feeding on moss until they're large and old enough to burrow underground and undergo metamorphosis.

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Image Source: Here

Panorpa sp. (Mecoptera: Panorpidae)

Scorpionfly

Mosca escorpión

3 of June 2024 — Pennsylvania, USA

The man, the myth, the legend! I love scorpionflies sooooo much! I’d been trying to get a picture of one for a while, and I was finally successful, even getting a video!