Fossils of extinct scorpionflies found in B.C.

reply to post by intergalactic fire


I guess us macro shooters must be a sturdier bunch when it comes to creepy crawly things!

I've had these, and many other, flies, wasps, bees, beetles settle on my whilst lurking in the undergrowth looking for macro subjects.

flying scorpions? not so bad...
flying spiders? yikes!!!!!!

reply to post by badgerprints

7The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.8They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.9They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.10They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.

My thoughts exactly. I had thought that those verses possibly referred to healthcare workers in hazmat suits giving shots, causing a zombie-like plague. It just may be that those verses were describing a literal plague of those things.

I was stung by a small golden colored scorpion about a year ago while visiting my grandmother in OK. I felt something crawl near my eye while i was drifting off to sleep, brushed it away only to get stung on my thumb. It hurt like hell, but didn't swell all that much, and after 2-3 days, all soreness was gone.

Originally posted by sulaw
reply to post by Teye22

 

You may be right...

what about this....

That thing just give's me the heebie jeebies~ What if you were sleeping in the woods and that THING landed on your face.... Something straight out of the movie Aliens~

I was going to say, "Kill it with FIRE!" So, you have the right idea.

Could you imagine if that existed today?

Originally posted by Teye22
reply to post by AshleyD

 

Sorry Ashley I didn't mean to burst your bubble!!

Sadly according to the article, 2 species are still alive and kicking!

There are actually many more than 2 species still around.....
There are two Families of scorpionflies in existence.
One has 350 species:

The Panorpidae are a family of scorpionflies. This family contains more than 350 species. They are 9–25 mm long. These insects have four membranous wings and threadlike antennae. Their elongated faces terminate with jaws that are used to feed on dead and dying insects, nectar, and rotting fruit. While in larval form, they scavenge by consuming dead insects on ground.

Panorpidae- Wikipedia

Did anyone notice a mention of size in the article? I didn't see anything about how big this fossil is.

reply to post by Britguy


Indeed, one of the biggest enemies when shooting macro is the wind crowling and blowing around you
Never had any probs with them little bugs minding their own bussiness.
A check for ticks afterwards is recommended, don't like these ones a lot, they are just like the governement, they like to get into your bussiness
reply to post by butcherguy


You can find the paper of the research in pdf file on his website.

www.brucearchibald.com...

Originally posted by Astrocyte
Could you imagine if that existed today?

they do 2 species are still alive today!

thats what i call aaalienn..

Does it say how big they are/were? Is there a scale we could use to compare them to modern day scorpionflies?

Looks like they are still around, but harmless.

While the stinger does look nasty, its not actually a stinger. Only the males have it... if you know what i mean.

The species Panorpa nuptialis is found in the south-central United States, and the males reach about 25 mm (one inch) in length. Scorpionflies are members of a primitive order named Mecoptera, which means “long wing.” The stinger is actually the genitalia of the male, and it is harmless and cannot sting.

Source

I'm happy they're not here in BC now, as that would be a good thing. How big were these bad boys?

"Mecoptera (from the Greek: meco- = "long", -ptera = "wings") are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. "

Only 2 kinds left, BAH!

It's funny that no one bothered to actually check these things out.
Do some research before you hype something you find online.

Here is the whole page

Originally posted by wolffe69
"Mecoptera (from the Greek: meco- = "long", -ptera = "wings") are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. "

Only 2 kinds left, BAH!

It's funny that no one bothered to actually check these things out.
Do some research before you hype something you find online.

Here is the whole page

I know, right?

After reading the OP I was like "OH boy, this is scary" SCORPIONS ON WINGSES (modified LOTR quote, 10 points to whoever tells me who said it)

Then a quick (as in like 30 second) trip to wiki reveals these things are small, and their stinger is just an overiszed penis. Yeah, really scary. Maybe if you are a tiny insect and you happen to run into a rapist scorpionfly it would be scary.... otherwise no.

Although, compared to their body size, theirs appear much bigger than average humans. And I thought humans had some of the larger reproductive organs relative to body size.

Originally posted by Astrocyte
Could you imagine if that existed today?

They are still here!


I'm really surprised I have never heard of this thing before. I wonder what other flying animals are out there that I don't know about..

That thing will haunt my dreams forever.

reply to post by James1982


Actually, we have on of the smaller penis to body size ratios, to see the winners go here Source

Friday, 8 February 2013

The World's Largest Penis to Body Ratios Although the penis resembles a wrinkling, sagging, fruitless attempt at an elephant's head; it still remains the most powerful and respected organ on Earth.

With the ability to fire string better than Spiderman, to grow faster than a steroid abuser and even to create a life; the penis is a man's most prized possession.

However, unfortunately for us human men, our penis to body ratio is less impressive. While we are able to cup our holy organ in one hand, some animals would need a fork lift to be able to hold theirs.

Below I present to you the animals with the largest penis to body ratios on Earth.

I wouldn't want to be a barnacle, but I wouldn't mind the African elephant's ratio.

Originally posted by James1982

Originally posted by wolffe69
"Mecoptera (from the Greek: meco- = "long", -ptera = "wings") are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. "

Only 2 kinds left, BAH!

It's funny that no one bothered to actually check these things out.
Do some research before you hype something you find online.

Here is the whole page

I know, right?

After reading the OP I was like "OH boy, this is scary" SCORPIONS ON WINGSES (modified LOTR quote, 10 points to whoever tells me who said it)

Then a quick (as in like 30 second) trip to wiki reveals these things are small, and their stinger is just an overiszed penis. Yeah, really scary. Maybe if you are a tiny insect and you happen to run into a rapist scorpionfly it would be scary.... otherwise no.

Although, compared to their body size, theirs appear much bigger than average humans. And I thought humans had some of the larger reproductive organs relative to body size.

they do look pretty scary

and to answer your question it was gollum who said it as the witch king of angmar flew overhead on his fell beast as they traversed the swamp on the way to mordor

reply to post by AlexanderM



That's it's penis, not a stinger.....

are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion.

Then there are the "hangingflies" which are in the same biological order as the scorpionflies. I don't know much about their penises, but they do have an interesting mating ritual:

"Food items such as caterpillars, bugs, and flies are offered to be eaten during copulation. The female is first attracted by a pheromone emitted by one or more vesicles or pouches at the end of the male's abdomen. When the female is near, the vesicles are retracted. The female examines the offering while the male searches for her genitalia with his own. If the gift is rejected, the female flies away. If the gift is accepted, the genitalia of the male couples with that of the female, who lowers herself until she is hanging upside down. She consumes the offering during copulation. The male supports the female by holding her legs or the prey. Field observations show that both sexes mate several times per day. Small or unacceptable offerings result in no or a very short copulation time. Duration depends on the size of the gift. It has been observed that prey 3 to 14 mm long will provide 1 to 17 minutes of copulation in Hylobittacus apicalis. Larger H. apicalis give prey the size of houseflies in return for 20 to 29 minutes of copulation. This results in a maximum sperm transfer, increased oviposition, and a refractory period."

source