Male scorpion fly feeding female with other flies while mating.
Scorpion flies are neither scorpions nor flies. They are called scorpion flies because the males of one family of these insects have curving genital segments resembling a scorpion sting. They may also be known as ‘hanging flies’, because common species hang from plants by their forelegs. Females drop their eggs on the ground, and may lie dormant for several months. Hatching larvae go through four growth stages all the while consuming other insects. Pupation takes place in a cell in the upper levels of soil. Adults are found in the warmer months, from spring to autumn, and males are predatory on soft bodied insects. Males give off pheromones to attract females from a distance. To entice the female closer he offers her a meal of a prey insect. The species which hang from plants can catch passing insects with their hind legs, or may actively hunt for prey among plants, sweeping them with their hind legs. Not all scorpion flies are predatory; some species feed on nectar, pollen or mosses.
Size: 3398px × 5107px
Location: Pomonal, Victoria, Australia
Photo credit: © Denis Crawford / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: australia, beneficial, bug, feeding, female, flies, flowering, fly, good, hanging, harpobittacus, insect, leptospermum, macro, mating, mecoptera, predator, predatory, scorpion, scorpionflies, tea, tree
