Common European Scorpionfly

Fascinating facts about the Common European Scorpionfly

• The male ends its abdomen with a pair of claspers that hold the female during mating, giving the insect a scorpion-like silhouette despite lacking a stinger. This distinctive feature is part of a body that reaches about 30 mm in length and a wingspan of roughly 35 mm. Females are longer, heavier and have longer legs, so the male's claspers are crucial for securing the larger partner. The claspers are solely for grasping, not for delivering venom.
• Although fully winged, these scorpionflies rarely travel far by flight and instead spend most of their time crawling over damp, shaded vegetation beside water and hedgerows. Adults are most commonly observed from May through September, when they are active on the foliage.
• Males attract females by releasing pheromones and then presenting nuptial gifts that consist of saliva secretions and usually dead arthropods. Before the gift is offered, the pair performs a ritualised premating display involving slow wing movements and brief rapid abdominal vibrations. The size of the gift directly influences mating success, with larger offerings increasing the female's likelihood of copulation.
• Male scorpionflies first release pheromones and then present a nuptial gift made of saliva and usually a dead arthropod. The pair then engages in a brief ritual of slow wing flicks and rapid abdominal vibrations before the gift is offered. Females are more likely to copulate when the gift is larger, so the size of the offering directly boosts the female's reproductive success. This behaviour links male generosity to mating success.
• Adult scorpionflies feed primarily on dead insects, but they will also take live aphids when the opportunity arises. They are known to steal prey from spider webs and will sip plant sap whenever it is accessible. These feeding habits are carried out mainly in damp, shaded vegetation near water and hedgerows, where the insects spend most of their time. Adults are most commonly observed from May through September while they forage.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Common European Scorpionfly

In the dappled shade of forest floors, the Common European Scorpionfly weaves an intricate dance, its delicate wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm as it navigates the intricate web of life. With its slender, elongated body and striking scorpion-like tail, this enigmatic insect moves with a quiet purpose, seeking out the decaying matter that sustains it. As it flits from leaf to leaf, its large, compound eyes drinking in the subtleties of its surroundings, the Scorpionfly embodies a fascinating paradox of fragility and resilience.

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