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Hangingflies
Bittacidae is a family of Mecoptera, scorpionflies commonly called hangingflies or hanging scorpionflies. The genus ''Bittacus'', comprising approximately 75% of all species within the family, occurs worldwide. Other genera are mostly confined to South America or Australia. Members of this family may be confused with crane fly, crane flies, in the order Diptera, but can be distinguished by their two pairs of wings and lack of halteres. They are distinguished in the fact that during mating the male captures a prey insect and offers it to the female as a nuptial gift. The larger the prey item is, the more receptive the female will be to mating. Genera This list is based on ''The World Checklist of extant Mecoptera Species''. Presumably complete up to 1997, it is updated as needed. The number of species in each genus are in parentheses. A number of extinct(†) genera have been described from the fossil record. * ''Anabittacus'' (1) Kimmins, 1929 (Chile) * ''Anomalobittacus'' (1) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mecoptera
Mecoptera (from the Greek language, Greek: ''mecos'' = "long", ''ptera'' = "wings") is an Order (biology), order of insects in the superorder Holometabola with about six hundred species in nine Family (biology), 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 Rostrum (anatomy), 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 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylobittacus Apicalis
''Hylobittacus apicalis'' is a species of hangingfly in the order Mecoptera, and the only species within the genus ''Hylobittacus''.Byers, G. W. and Thornhill, R. 1983. Biology of The Mecoptera. Annual Review of Entomology 28: 203-228. Description ''H. apicalis'' is a holometabolous insect with two pairs of wings.Penny, N. D. 1975. Evolution of the Extant Mecoptera. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 48: 331-350. Adults are medium-sized and reach a body length of around 1.9 cm.Thornhill, R. 1984. Alternative Female Choice Tactics in the Scorpionfly ''Hylobittacus apicalis'' (Mecoptera) and Their Implications. American Zoologist 24: 367-383. Antenna, when compared proportionally to body size, are short. ''H. apicalis'' is widely distributed throughout the lower United States and are the most common hangingfly in Illinois.Maddox, J. V. and Webb, D. W. 1983. A New Species of ''Nosema'' from ''Hylobittacus apicalis'' (Insecta: Mecoptera: Bittacidae). Journal of Inverteb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apterobittacus
''Apterobittacus'' is a genus of hangingflies Bittacidae is a family of Mecoptera, scorpionflies commonly called hangingflies or hanging scorpionflies. The genus ''Bittacus'', comprising approximately 75% of all species within the family, occurs worldwide. Other genera are mostly confined ... in the family Bittacidae. There is one described species in ''Apterobittacus'', ''A. apterus''. References Further reading * * * Hangingflies Insects described in 1893 Articles created by Qbugbot {{mecoptera-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harpobittacus
''Harpobittacus'' is a genus of hangingfly of the family Bittacidae found in Australia. Habitat and Development Species of ''Harpobittacus'' are found in moist environments as larvae and adults. The adults are active from October to February and lay their eggs in the summer. They undergo metamorphosis, beginning with the female laying her cube–shaped eggs in the soil. The larva pupate underground, remaining moist to prevent desiccation and once they hatch, they feed on soil, mosses, dead insects, and leaf litter. Adults normally display black bodies with orange markings and have claws at the ends of their long legs. They catch prey by hanging from vegetation with their forelegs and capturing small insects that get close with their hind-legs. They feed by holding the insect in their mouth, sucking out the soft tissues and juices and dropping the empty chitinous shells. Mating ''Harpobittacus'' species exhibit some less common mating strategies, including pheromone secre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bittacus
''Bittacus'' is a genus of hangingflies in the order Mecoptera. Members of the genus have a cosmopolitan distribution. The genus has existed since at least the earliest Late Cretaceous. ''Bittacus'' is considered "grossly paraphyletic" and serves as a catch-all for many distantly related species of hangingflies. Characteristics Members of this genus have long legs, the front pair of which are modified for grasping and are used to hang from vegetation. The other two pairs have tarsal claws and are modified for catching prey. There are two pairs of equal sized, membranous wings with dark mottling. The mouthparts are modified for chewing. The insects superficially resemble crane flies. Species The following species are listed in the ''World Checklist of Extant Mecoptera Species'': *'' Bittacus aequalis'' Navás, 1914 – Kenya *'' Bittacus africanus'' Esben-Petersen, 1915 – Zaire *'' Bittacus alluaudi'' Navás, 1914 – Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia *'' Bittacus andinus'' Londt an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
