Explanation of Names
From Greek meco, long, plus pteron (a), wing.
Numbers
85 species in 11 genera and 5 families north of Mexico; up to 600 spp. in 8 families worldwide (the 3 tiny families that do not occur in NA are restricted to Australia and 'Gondwanian' parts of South America) (
World Checklist)
Identification
Characteristics of Mecoptera
(1),
(2):
body typically soft, elongated, cylindrical
head extended downward, giving a long, horse-like "face"
in several groups tip of
abdomen swollen in male, resembling stinger of a scorpion (but none sting or have venom)
typically four membranous wings (pigmented or clear), forewings and hindwings about the same size
antennae thread-like (
filiform), with 14 or more segments, often half of body length or longer
Life Cycle
Complete
metamorphosis (
holometabolous). Larvae of boreids and panorpids somewhat resemble larvae of scarab beetles. Larvae of other families resemble caterpillars--they may have abdominal
prolegs, or lack them
(1).
Print References
Arnett, Order 28, pp. 831-834
(1)
Byers, 2002. Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and other Mecoptera.
The Kansas School Naturalist, 48: #1, available
here
Webb, D. W., N. D. Penny, and J. C. Martin. 1975. The Mecoptera, or Scorpionflies, of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 31(7):250-316 (contains key).
Internet References
photos and keys to 19 species of Mecoptera in Ontario (D.K.B. Cheung, S.A. Marshall, and D.W. Webb, Mecoptera of Ontario)
Discover Life--good description of courtship, mating in different families.
