Monday, 23 July 2012

Male scorpion fly

This is a male scorpion fly.  Apart from the genital capsule at the rear end (which gives it the common name of scorpion fly) it looks pretty much like the female scorpion fly.
This is a close up of the genital capsule.
Males are much more difficult to find than females.  I'm not sure why this is.  It could be that there are just fewer, or perhaps they are more wary, or maybe they do not live long after mating.  They are also more difficult to catch.
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3 comments:

  1. Pan30 July 2012 at 03:13

    I usually access your bumble bee pages but thought I would take a gander at your blog. To my surprise, I found a picture of an insect that I found in my garden only once and always wondered what it was. It totally impressed me! Now I know it was the Scorpion Fly. :) Now I have a name to go with the insect. Thank you.

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  2. Laura30 July 2012 at 07:27

    Hi Pan,
    If you've found it once it is probably there every year. They are really hard to see though. When disturbed quite often instead of flying off they just drop into the undergrowth, and with their patterned wings this makes it almost impossible to find them again.

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  3. Pan7 August 2012 at 23:15

    Thanks, Lauren. I'll keep an eye out for the little fellows. Ever since I've become fascinated with bees, I have gotten over my insect phobia and now see the plethora of 'wild life' in my garden that I never knew existed.

    I'm really enjoying your musings and adventures. Keep writing and sharing your knowledge. It's much appreciated.

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