English: Common scorpionfly.
Region: Europe, Northern Asia.
Habitat: hedgerows, patches of nettle.
ZoologyInsects; ± 3 cm long; black and yellow body, with a reddish head and tail; male has a pair of claspers at the end of its tail, for holding the female during mating, giving it a scorpion-like appearance. In the female, the eighth abdominal segment is the shortest, almost twice shorter than the seventh; the sixth is narrowed towards the back. The larva resembles a caterpillar and grows up to 2 cm long. It has three pairs of thoracic legs and eight pairs of prolegs.
Wings: wingspan of about 35 millimetres; mostly clear, but have many dark spots or patches.
Head: mounted with large eyes, is drawn into a prominent, downward pointing beak, which opens at the tip of its head.