Mecoptera information

Mecoptera; Temporal range: Early Permian - Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Panorpa communis, male
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
(unranked):	Antliophora
Order:	Mecoptera; Packard, 1886; Comstock, 1895
Families
	Apteropanorpidae; Boreidae (snow scorpionflies); Choristidae; †Choristopsychidae; †Englathaumatidae; Eomeropidae; Meropeidae (earwigflies); †Mesopsychoidea (=Aneuretopsychina) †Aneuretopsychidae; †Mesopsychidae; †Nedubroviidae; †Pseudopolycentropodidae; ; Nannochoristidae; Panorpoidea †Australochoristidae; †Austropanorpidae; †Cantabridae; †Dinopanorpidae; †Eorpidae; †Holcorpidae; †Orthophlebiidae; Panorpidae (common scorpionflies); Panorpodidae (short-faced scorpionflies); †Protorthophlebiidae; †Worcestobiidae; ; †Permochoristidae; Raptipedia Bittacidae (hangingflies); †Cimbrophlebiidae; ; Siphonaptera? (fleas);

Mecoptera (from the Greek: mecos = "long", ptera = "wings") is an order of insects in the superorder Holometabola with about six hundred species in nine families worldwide. Mecopterans are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals raised over the body that look similar to the stingers of scorpions, and long beaklike rostra. The Bittacidae, or hangingflies, are another prominent family and are known for their elaborate mating rituals, in which females choose mates based on the quality of gift prey offered to them by the males. A smaller group is the snow scorpionflies, family Boreidae, adults of which are sometimes seen walking on snowfields. In contrast, the majority of species in the order inhabit moist environments in tropical locations.

The Mecoptera are closely related to the Siphonaptera (fleas), and a little more distantly to the Diptera (true flies). They are somewhat fly-like in appearance, being small to medium-sized insects with long slender bodies and narrow membranous wings. Most breed in moist environments such as leaf litter or moss, and the eggs may not hatch until the wet season arrives. The larvae are caterpillar-like and mostly feed on vegetable matter, and the non-feeding pupae may pass through a diapause until weather conditions are favorable.

Early Mecoptera may have played an important role in pollinating extinct species of gymnosperms before the evolution of other insect pollinators such as bees. Adults of modern species are overwhelmingly predators or consumers of dead organisms. In a few areas, some species are the first insects to arrive at a cadaver, making them useful in forensic entomology.^[9]

^ Qiao, X.; Shih, C. K.; Petrulevičius, J. F.; Dong, R. (2013). "Fossils from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on morphology of Choristopsychidae (Insecta, Mecoptera)". ZooKeys (318): 91–111. Bibcode:2013ZooK..318...91Q. doi:10.3897/zookeys.318.5226. PMC 3744206. PMID 23950679.
^ Novokshonov, V. G.; Ross, A. J.; Cook, E.; Krzemiński, W.; Soszyńska-Maj, A. (2016). "A new family of scorpionflies (Insecta; Mecoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of England". Cretaceous Research. 62: 44–51. Bibcode:2016CrRes..62...44N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.01.013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bashkuev, A.S. (2011). "Nedubroviidae, a new family of Mecoptera: the first Paleozoic long-proboscid scorpionflies". Zootaxa. 2895 (1): 47–57. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2895.1.3. S2CID 83075922.
^ Lin, X.; Shih, M. J.; Labandeira, C. C.; Ren, D. (2016). "New data from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on the phylogeny and origin of the proboscis in the Mesopsychidae (Insecta: Mecoptera)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16 (1): 1–22. Bibcode:2016BMCEE..16....1L. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0575-y. PMC 4700641. PMID 26727998.
^ Grimaldi, D.; Johnston, M. A. (2014). "The long-tongued Cretaceous scorpionfly Parapolycentropus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn (Mecoptera: Pseudopolycentropodidae): new data and interpretations". American Museum Novitates (3793): 1–24. doi:10.1206/3793.1. hdl:2246/6466. S2CID 54799375.
^ Krzemiński, W.; Soszyńska-Maj, A.; Bashkuev, A. S.; Kopeć, K (2015). "Revision of the unique Early Cretaceous Mecoptera from Koonwarra (Australia) with description of a new genus and family". Cretaceous Research. 52: 501–506. Bibcode:2015CrRes..52..501K. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.04.004.
^ Archibald, S.B. (2005). "New Dinopanorpida (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Eocene Okanogan Highlands (British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 119–136. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..119A. doi:10.1139/e04-073. S2CID 55513480.
^ Wang, C.; Shih, C.; Ren, D (2014). "A new fossil hangingfly (Mecoptera: Cimbrophlebiidae) from the Early Cretaceous of China". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition). 88 (1): 29–34. Bibcode:2014AcGlS..88...29W. doi:10.1111/1755-6724.12180. S2CID 129796533.
^ "Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility". STAFS.

[Qiao2013-1] Qiao, X.; Shih, C. K.; Petrulevičius, J. F.; Dong, R. (2013). "Fossils from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on morphology of Choristopsychidae (Insecta, Mecoptera)". ZooKeys (318): 91–111. Bibcode:2013ZooK..318...91Q. doi:10.3897/zookeys.318.5226. PMC 3744206. PMID 23950679.

[Novokshonov2016-2] Novokshonov, V. G.; Ross, A. J.; Cook, E.; Krzemiński, W.; Soszyńska-Maj, A. (2016). "A new family of scorpionflies (Insecta; Mecoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of England". Cretaceous Research. 62: 44–51. Bibcode:2016CrRes..62...44N. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.01.013.

[Bashkuev2011-3] Bashkuev, A.S. (2011). "Nedubroviidae, a new family of Mecoptera: the first Paleozoic long-proboscid scorpionflies". Zootaxa. 2895 (1): 47–57. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2895.1.3. S2CID 83075922.

[Lin2016-4] Lin, X.; Shih, M. J.; Labandeira, C. C.; Ren, D. (2016). "New data from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on the phylogeny and origin of the proboscis in the Mesopsychidae (Insecta: Mecoptera)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16 (1): 1–22. Bibcode:2016BMCEE..16....1L. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0575-y. PMC 4700641. PMID 26727998.

[Grimaldi2014-5] Grimaldi, D.; Johnston, M. A. (2014). "The long-tongued Cretaceous scorpionfly Parapolycentropus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn (Mecoptera: Pseudopolycentropodidae): new data and interpretations". American Museum Novitates (3793): 1–24. doi:10.1206/3793.1. hdl:2246/6466. S2CID 54799375.

[Krzemiński2015-6] Krzemiński, W.; Soszyńska-Maj, A.; Bashkuev, A. S.; Kopeć, K (2015). "Revision of the unique Early Cretaceous Mecoptera from Koonwarra (Australia) with description of a new genus and family". Cretaceous Research. 52: 501–506. Bibcode:2015CrRes..52..501K. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.04.004.

[Dinopanorpidae-7] Archibald, S.B. (2005). "New Dinopanorpida (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Eocene Okanogan Highlands (British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 119–136. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..119A. doi:10.1139/e04-073. S2CID 55513480.

[Wang2014-8] Wang, C.; Shih, C.; Ren, D (2014). "A new fossil hangingfly (Mecoptera: Cimbrophlebiidae) from the Early Cretaceous of China". Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition). 88 (1): 29–34. Bibcode:2014AcGlS..88...29W. doi:10.1111/1755-6724.12180. S2CID 129796533.

[STAFS-9] "Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility". STAFS.

Mecoptera information

and 30 Related for: Mecoptera information

Mecoptera

Flea

Panorpida

Insect

Fly

Holometabola

Snow scorpionfly

Beetle

Hylobittacus apicalis

Lepidoptera

Proleg

List of largest insects

Nannochoristidae

Pterygota

Bittacus carpenteri

Neoptera

Hemiptera

Panorpidae

Cockroach

Phasmatodea

Pupa

Pistillifera

Panorpa nuptialis

Entomology

Caurinus

Thrips

Mantis

Eomeropidae

Paleobiota of the Klondike Mountain Formation

Apterobittacus

Mecoptera Temporal range: Early Permian - Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N

Panorpa communis, male
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
(unranked):	Antliophora
Order:	Mecoptera Packard, 1886 Comstock, 1895
Families
Apteropanorpidae Boreidae (snow scorpionflies) Choristidae †Choristopsychidae^[1] †Englathaumatidae^[2] Eomeropidae Meropeidae (earwigflies) †Mesopsychoidea (=Aneuretopsychina) †Aneuretopsychidae^[3] †Mesopsychidae^[4] †Nedubroviidae^[3] †Pseudopolycentropodidae^[5] Nannochoristidae Panorpoidea †Australochoristidae^[6] †Austropanorpidae †Cantabridae †Dinopanorpidae^[7] †Eorpidae †Holcorpidae †Orthophlebiidae Panorpidae (common scorpionflies) Panorpodidae (short-faced scorpionflies) †Protorthophlebiidae †Worcestobiidae †Permochoristidae^[3] Raptipedia Bittacidae (hangingflies) †Cimbrophlebiidae^[8] Siphonaptera? (fleas)