70 Mecoptera

Mecoptera

Mecoptera (“meco” = “long”), the scorpionflies, is a small order, containing about 500 species. The larvae have compound eyes and are mostly saprophages, while adults can be saprophagous or predatory. Once again, these insects are easily recognizable, especially the males. The mouthparts of adults are elongated into a proboscis, giving the head a unique shape. The abdomen of the male has a bulb on the tip, and the entire abdomen is carried curled up above the back, like the sting of a scorpion. The bulb is not, however, capable of delivering venom. Instead, it produces a sex pheromone, to which the female is attracted. When she arrives, the male offers her some food. If she flies away, he is rejected; if she accepts him, she eats while they mate. The duration of mating depends on the size of the food offering.

The snow scorpionfly (Boreus sp.), lives in cold, high alpine habitats. A representation of Boreus elegans, a resident of high coastal mountains in BC, forms part of the logo of the Entomological Society of British Columbia, http://entsocbc.ca/.

Mecoptera male: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Boreus brumalis: Ben Armstrong, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons