Subject: WHat kind of bug
Location: Canadian, Oklahoma
October 12, 2016 2:55 pm
Not sure I’ve ever seen one like this before.
Signature: G Lynn
Scorpionfly
Dear G Lynn,
This is a marvelous image of a harmless Scorpionfly. According to BugGuide: “Adults feed mainly on dead/dying insects, rarely on nectar/fruit.”
Subject: Help!
Location: Central Texas
March 26, 2016 4:48 pm
Can you please help us identify this bug?
Signature: Abby
Possibly Scorpionfly
Dear Abby,
We believe this is a Scorpionfly in the order Mecoptera, but we cannot find any images of individuals with black wings and an orange body on BugGuide other than Panorpa lugubris, which is definitely not your species. We are requesting assistance from Eric Eaton. If possible, can you send additional images showing the insect from a lateral view that would show details of the head and mouthparts? Thanks.
Eric Eaton poses another possibility
Daniel:
I am thinking this is a caddisfly of some kind.
Eric
Subject: New to me
Location: Washington state greater Seattle area
March 25, 2016 8:35 am
Lived at this location for 15 years and just this spring I have seen a couple of these. Any ideas?
Signature: Cdm
Scorpionfly
Dear Cdm,
This is a member of the insect order Mecoptera which includes Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Earwigflies and we believe we have identified it as a member of the genus Brachypanorpa, most likely Brachypanorpa oregonensis based on this BugGuide image and the range which is listed as Oregon and Washington. Of the family, BugGuide states: “Larvae are scarabaeiform and found in the soil where they presumably feed on plant roots.”
Scorpionfly
Subject: Winged beasty
Location: Newark, Delaware
March 21, 2015 10:20 am
Hi,
Can you help to identify this strange-looking creature? I spotted this little guy about 5 months ago around October. He was walking along a lumber pile at the lumber yard I work at. The lumber yard backs right up to a wooded area that is part of a state park on the banks of the Christina river. Thanks!
Signature: amateur entomologist
Scorpionfly
Dear amateur entomologist,
Your stange beastie is a Scorpionfly in the genus Panorpa. According to BugGuide, they are generally found on: “low shrubs and ground cover in densely-vegetated woodlands, often near water or wet seeps; grasslands; cultivated fields; forest borders adults are usually seen resting on leaves in shaded areas less than a metre from the ground.” They are harmless creatures and according to BugGuide: “Adults feed mainly on dead/dying insects, rarely on nectar/fruit: Larvae scavenge on decaying organic matter or dead insects; may prey on soil insects.”
Subject: Confirm ID of beetle
Location: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, TX
November 19, 2014 11:45 am
Recently my wife and I were at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas photographing the waterfowl. This beetle which I am gussing is the Long Jawed Longhorn Beetle landed on our windshield and I took the picture from inside of our car with my iPhone. I didn’t get to see his top view, but this really shows a long jaw. Can you confirm his ID.
You may use the picture any way you like, but please mention my name as the photographer.
Signature: Joseph A. Sinka
Scorpionfly
Dear Joseph,
This impressive insect is not a beetle, but rather a Scorpionfly in the order Mecoptera and most likely in the genus Panorpa. According to BugGuide: “Adults feed mainly on dead/dying insects, rarely on nectar/fruit.”
Hi Daniel,
Thanks, I don’t think I could have ever identified him as a Scorpionfly. I just looked it up in my field guide and the size of the one I saw was somewhere between 1″ to 1-1/2″ long; much larger than the 3/8″ mentioned in the guide.
I don’t know how common they are, but this is a first for me.
Thanks for your help and I plan to go back again this weekend,
Joe
Subject: Bug for ID
Location: Tiddesley Wood, Pershore, UK
September 6, 2014 9:41 am
Saw this rather beautiful ‘fly’ and wondered what it was! I have a better quality image if you would like it.
Signature: Jean Booth
Scorpionfly
Dear Jean,
Our email submission system is able to handle large digital files and we would love to get a higher resolution image of this Scorpionfly in the order Mecoptera. We found some matching images on Olympus System Talk UK, but they are not identified to the species level. Bugs and Weeds identifies it as Panorpa communis, and there are some nice images on Nature Spot. Your individual is a female. Please send a higher quality image.
Higher Resolution image attached
Regards
Jean
Scorpionfly
Thanks Jean,
That is much better.
I like This
