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Scorpionfly

Panorpa cognata

Classification

Class
Insecta

Mecoptera (from Ancient Greek μῆκος (mêkos), meaning 'length', and πτερόν (pterón), meaning 'wing') is an order of insects in the superorder Holometabola with about six hundred species in nine families worldwide. Mecopterans are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals raised over the body that look similar to the stingers of scorpions, and long beaklike rostra. The Bittacidae, or hangingflies, are another prominent family and are known for their elaborate mating rituals, in which females choose mates based on the quality…

Distribution

Dick Belgers · CC BY
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Countries in the Picchu catalog
Netherlands · 680Germany · 132France · 76Italy · 66United Kingdom · 36Switzerland · 10Belgium · 5