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common scorpionfly

Panorpa communis

Description:

The common scorpionfly has a black and yellow body, with a reddish head and tail. The male has a pair of claspers at the end of its tail (for holding the female during mating), giving it a scorpion-like appearance, although it is not a stinger. The adult insect has a wingspan of about 35 millimetres (1.4 in), with wings that are mostly clear, but have many dark spots or patches. Its head, mounted with large eyes, is drawn into a prominent, downward pointing beak, which opens at the tip of its head. They eat dead insects (although they sometimes eat live aphids), sometimes taking them from spider webs.

Habitat:

The adult is seen between May and September, and can be usually found in hedgerows and patches of nettle. Although fully winged, the adults rarely fly very far and spend much of their time crawling on vegetation in damp, shaded places near water and along hedgerows.

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PatriciaPi
Spotted by
PatriciaPi

Scotland, United Kingdom

Spotted on Jun 14, 2015
Submitted on Jul 5, 2015

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