Scorpionfly

Alan found a Scorpionfly yesterday.

There are 3 species of Scorpionfly in the UK and are somewhat difficult to tell apart.

I may be wrong but I think this one is possibly a female Common Scorpionfly (Panorpa communis).

(Are there any Entomologist out there to correct the ID?).

The Scorpion like tail is used in mating and is not a sting and they are completely harmless.

Scorpionflies belong to a very ancient order of insects that can be dated back to the Permian era (250 million years ago) and are possibly ancestors of modern day butterflies.






from Cholsey Wildlife https://cholseywildlife.blogspot.com/2020/04/scorpionfly.html

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