Mecoptera or Scorpion flies
By Myles and Ayesha
Introduction
This is a Power Point all
about “Scorpion Flies”
have a good look through
it and hope u like it and
learn some new stuff! 
Basic Anatomy
This is a dissected snow scorpion fly which is a special breed of the scorpion fly
found mostly in Tasmania.
Scorpion flies have a long segmented body called the thorax. The abdomen of
the male curls around like a scorpion tail. It has 6 legs, the back ones being
longer than the front ones. It has two pairs of wings which are large and lacy,
the wings are usually clear with dark veins. It has a fairly long proboscis and
two antennae.
Life Cycle
A life cycle of Scorpion flies is varied because there are
different species but in most cases the male attracts
the female with pheromones (a kind of hormone that
scorpion flies and maybe some other insects have) and
offers her an insect meal he has previously caught. It is
thought this food is required by the female to assist
with egg development. Eggs are usually deposited in
the soil or moist leaf litter, while some species are
aquatic and eggs are laid in the water. Babies develop
through 3 stages lasting approximately one month
each before going into a cocoon for up to several
months within a chamber in the soil. Adults hatch in
spring or autumn depending on the type of scorpion
fly they are!
.
Global Presence
Scorpion flies are distributed worldwide including the Northern polar regions.
Many of the species of scorpion flies live in Australia or South East Asia including
Indonesia. This diagram indicates where the scorpion fly is located in Australia. The
red dots show most flies live in the Southern half of Australia, although there is a
large population on the North Eastern tip of Queensland.
There are nine families found around the world, they are;
Nannochoristidae (Australia, New Zealand, South America), Bittacidae
(cosmopolitan), Boreidae (Holarctic), Meropeidae (North America, Australia),
Eomeropidae (South
America), Apteropanorpidae (Tasmania), Choristidae (Australia), Panorpodidae
(USA, Japan, Korea),
Panorpidae (Holarctic, Oriental Region).
Habitat
Scorpion flies would rather cool, moist
environments and are common around
mountain and coastal regions of the
country, also some species are found in
the more marshy areas of inland Australia.
Adults can often be seen hanging from low
vegetation waiting for a chance to capture
passing prey with there 2 hind legs.
Harmful and Beneficial Species in
the selected order
All Species of Mecoptera is not
harmful so instead i have just listed
the species of Mecoptera!
.Scorpion flies
.Hanging flies
.Bittacidae
.Boreidae
.Panorpodidae
.Meropeidae.
They all come from the “Panorpidae
"family!
Where they exist in the food
chain?
Scorpion flies eat both plant and animal flesh . The
adults and larvae of scorpionflies eat mostly dead
insects. The adults are known to take insects trapped
in spider webs. They also eat pollen, nectar, and fruit
juice. Adults and larvae of snow scorpionflies eat
mosses. Small-faced scorpionfly adults eat the top of
leaves, but it is not known what their larvae eat.
Water (aquatic) scorpionfly's larvae feed on the
aquatic larvae of flies known as midges, but the food
of the adults is unknown.
Local Species
In Tasmania there is a snow
scorpion fly, the
Apteropanorpidae tasmania.
Other species are found in
Brisbane and Southern Australia
and these are mainly from the
family Nannochoristidae.
Something Unique
Something Unique about the scorpion
fly is that only the males have a tail
shaped like a scorpion. The female
only has a short looking stump.
Males attract females with
displays of wing and body
movements, and many offer
the females a special mating
meal. It might be prey items
and saliva. No species stings
or bites so they are not
dangerous to humans.
Adaptive and Defensive
behaviours
Adaptive - There would be 2 males fighting over
a female and eventually one of them will win
and will then have to attract the female with a
mal or capture of some type!
Defensive- if any of the other males go near a
female when she is taken by some other male
the 2 males will have a big fight and then who
ever wins again will get the female.
Pictures
There isn't any species that are rare or common because they are all pretty
much rare, you are very lucky if you see one so then I'm just going to put
up some pictures of scorpion flies!
There isn't any species that are rare or common because they are all pretty
much rare, you are very lucky if you see one so then I'm just going to put
up some pictures of scorpion flies!
Thank you for
watching, much
appreciated! Thank
you again Myles and
Ayesha!