Panorpa communis Linnaeus, 1758

Panorpa communis has ocelli present. It has a black body with yellow on the sides, yellow rings on the abdomen and yellow marks on the pronotum and head (can be brown in some individuals). The genital capsule in males (which gives them the common name scorpionflies) and the tip of the abdomen in females is a red colour. The legs are a yellowish brown in colour. It has four membranous wings with a colour pattern. The wings are transparent with dark wing tips and large spots in the centre that merge to form a band, in the basal part of the wing there are smaller dark spots. Panorpa communis has a body length of 10-15mm and a wingspan of 27-33mm.

Panorpa communis is widespread and abundant in England and Wales. It is local and rare in Scotland (appears to be replaced by Panorpa germanica). It is not recorded in Ireland.