Mecoptera

Mecoptera is an order of insects that includes scorpionflies and hangingflies. Many species have elongated heads and narrow wings, while some lineages are wingless.

Scorpionfly: A mecopteran insect with an elongated beaklike head; males of some species have an upcurved genital capsule resembling a scorpion’s tail. Scorpionflies are the best-known members of Mecoptera and display its distinctive head shape.
Scorpionfly feeding: The varied food-gathering behavior of scorpionflies, which may include scavenging, predation, and feeding on plant fluids. Different feeding strategies explain why the order cannot be characterized by a single diet.
Permochoristidae: An extinct family of fossil insects traditionally classified among early mecopterans or close relatives. Its fossils illustrate the order’s ancient diversity and the difficulty of assigning early forms.
Diptera: The insect order containing true flies, whose adults have one functional pair of wings and halteres. Flies are close evolutionary relatives in some hypotheses but have a distinct wing plan.
Hangingfly: A long-legged mecopteran whose adults often hang from vegetation while capturing prey or feeding. Hangingflies are a specialized mecopteran group with distinctive perching behavior.
Hangingfly predation: The capture of small insects by hangingflies, often while the predators cling to vegetation by their legs. This behavior accounts for the group’s characteristic suspended posture.
Jurassic Mecoptera: Fossil mecopterans known from Jurassic deposits, including forms unlike most living members of the order. Jurassic fossils show that extinct mecopteran lineages were more diverse than today’s fauna.
Siphonaptera: The insect order of fleas, wingless blood-feeding parasites with laterally compressed bodies. Fleas are sometimes placed near Mecoptera but differ sharply in body form and lifestyle.
Mecopteran mouthparts: The elongated, beaklike adult mouthparts characteristic of many insects in the order Mecoptera. Their extended heads house mouthparts that help identify many mecopterans.
Mecopteran courtship gift: Food or another nuptial offering presented by a male mecopteran to a female during courtship or mating. In some scorpionflies, a gift affects female choice and the duration of mating.

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