What's this insect, please?

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gardenwife Newark, OH(Zone 5b) May 14, 2005

What's this insect, anyone know? It is pictured on a sweet woodruff leaf, for size reference; the insect's about 3/4" long from antennae tips to rear.

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Night_Bloom Griffin, GA(Zone 8a) May 15, 2005

gardenwife - I can't be totally positive because I can't see the insect's face, but I believe that this is a common scorpionfly (order Mecoptera, family Panorpidae). Scorpionflies are not flies, but are more like (but not) Neuroptera. Scorpionflies have a long "snout" that ends in biting mouthparts that they use to eat a few kinds of things, but most noteably and commonly - dead insects. They don't harm living plants, though they might eat rotting fruit, and some drink nectar. The males have a tail that curls up and closely resembles a scorpion's tail which is how the insects get their common name. They are harmless though and don't sting like scorpions do. I think I can just make out a swelling that might indicate that your insect might have such a tail. The larvae also eat dead insects that they hunt for on the ground at night.

Here's a link to an excellent picture of a scorpionfly... http://bugguide.net/node/view/7263

and here's another picture, not quite as good, but it shows the wing pattern from the same angle as your picture so that you can see the similarity... http://bugguide.net/node/view/11865

These really are interesting insects.

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gardenwife Newark, OH(Zone 5b) May 16, 2005

I never got to see its face, but that does look like it. Thanks for posting those links! I will have to watch for one again and get more pictures. Here's the same shot, tightly cropped to show the body and wings.

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gardenwife Newark, OH(Zone 5b) May 23, 2005

I happened to see one on our window screen the other day and I could see the long mouthparts clearly. I meant to post, but forgot. Just now, we saw a piece on the National Geographic channel about how scorpionflies choose their mates, and was reminded! This one's a female, by the way. :)

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