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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Allies (Mecoptera) » Forcepflies (Meropeidae)

Family Meropeidae - Forcepflies

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited
Pennsylvania Insect for ID - Merope tuber Merope tuber - female Forcepfly - Merope tuber bug - Merope tuber Merope tuber Forcepfly - Merope tuber Merope tuber - female Unknown insect - Merope tuber
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Mecoptera (Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, and Allies)
Family Meropeidae (Forcepflies)
Other Common Names
Earwigflies, Earwig Scorpionflies
Numbers
3 spp. worldwide, one in North America, one in sw. Australia, and one in Brazil
Size
body 8-15 mm
Identification
male claspers (slender structures at end of abdomen) are unique(1)
Range
e. NA; sw. Australia; Brazil
Life Cycle
Life history and larvae unknown(2)(3)
Remarks
The family was widespread during the Jurassic from Australia to Antarctica and over the Americas; the extant members are relics that survived at the edges of that ancient range.
Internet References
(New Continental Record and New species of Austromerope (Mecoptera, Meropeidae) from Brazil)

(Spectacular Forcepfly species discovered for the first time in South America)
Works Cited
1.World checklist of extant Mecoptera species
2.Scorpionflies, hangingflies, and other Mecoptera
Byers G.W. 2002. The Kansas School Naturalist 48(1).
3.Earwigflies in the Great Smokies
J.C. Dunford, D. Serrano, and L.A. Somma. 2006. SE Biology 53(1): 27-29.
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 1 March, 2005 - 3:15pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Robin McLeod, v belov, metrioptera
Last updated 25 February, 2013 - 5:29pm

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