CHAPTER XXV 



ORDER MECOPTERA* 



The Scorpion-Flies and Their Allies 



The winged members of this order have four wings; these are usually 

 long, narrow, membranous, and furnished with a considerable number 

 of cross-veins; the wings are wanting or vestigial in two genera. The 

 head is prolonged into a deflexed beak, at the end of which chewing 

 mouth-parts are situated. The metamorphosis is complete. 



This is a small order composed of very remarkable insects. The 

 most striking character common to all is the shape of the head, which 

 is prolonged into a deflexed beak (Fig. 674). The dorsal wall of this 

 beak is composed largely of the greatly elongated clypeus (Fig. 675, 

 A, c); the central portion of the ventral wall is the greatly elongated 

 submentum (Fig. 675,^,5^7); and on each side of the submentum there 



Fig. 674. — Head 

 and tail of 

 Panorpa. 



Fig. 675. — Head of Panorpa: A, dorsal aspect; B, 

 ventral aspect; af, antennal foramen; ca, cardo; 

 e, eye; g, gena; /, labrum; Ip, labial palpi; m, 

 mentum; mp, maxillary palpi; mx, maxillas; 0, 

 ocelli; sm, submentum; st, stipes. (After JMiyake.) 



is a greatly elongated stipes of the maxilla, at the distal end of which 

 is borne the maxillary palpus. The mentum and labium are com- 

 paratively short; and from each side of the labium there extends a 

 labial palpus. The mandibles are rather small and slender and are 

 articulated to the apex of the beak, and can cross freely. 



The antennae are long, very slender, and many-jointed. The 

 compound eyes are moderately large. There are usually three promi- 

 nent ocelli, but these are wanting in Merope and in Boreus. 



*Mecoptera: mecos (yu^/coj), length; pteron (irTepdv), a wing. 



(550) 



