scorpionfly

Description:

Body is about 20mm large, white-yellowish in colour, black at back, transparent wings with dark pattern and narrow in shape, with numerous cross-veins, compound eyes on the sides of the head and three ocelli on the top, the abdomen is cylindrical, and typically curves upwards in the male, superficially resembling the tail of a scorpion.

Habitat:

Spotted during a raining morning walk at Kebun Raya Cibodas, a 80ha area above 1.400 metres high, mix of botanical park with big trees & palms and surrounded by rainforest at the foot of Gene volcano, Java - Indonesia.

Notes:

Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta (unranked): Antliophora Order: Mecoptera