scorpionfly

Or scor·pion fly

[skawr-pee-uhn-flahy]

noun

plural

scorpionflies 

1. any of several harmless insects of the order Mecoptera, the male of certain species having a reproductive structure that resembles the sting of a scorpion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scorpionfly¹

First recorded in 1660–70; scorpion + fly ¹

Example Sentences

"A particularly spectacular example is by far the oldest larva of a scorpionfly to have been discovered, which is the second fossil ever found to have special hairs on its back for attaching camouflage material," says Professor Carolin Haug, lead author of the article and zoologist at the Faculty of Biology.

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They discovered that a family of seven rare species of scorpionfly, called nannochoristidae, turned out to be fleas’ closest living relative.

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Picture B: A female scorpionfly clutches at a fake gift while a male mates with her.

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The salivary mass that a male scorpionfly secretes to lure in a peckish female is packed with so much protein and nutrients that a less-robust suitor may forgo the effort and resort to offering a female a dead insect instead.

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For the female scorpionfly: an extremely large, glittering, nutrient-laced ball of spit, equivalent to 5 percent to 10 percent of a male fly’s body mass.

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