Panorpa communis
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.
To identify specimens form the British Isles to species level the genitalia of the male and female need to be examined.
Patterned wings: dark wing tips with central spots merging to form an almost complete band.
Male (can be viewed without dissection): The genital capsule has callipers that are slender, curving outwards in the middle, then converging at the tips.
Female (internal ovipositor needs to be extracted): Anterior apodemes are either absent or vestigial, when observed anterior apodemes are short and flattened, or very broad, diverging throughout their length. The tips of the arms of the genital plate taper to points.
Hedgerows, woodlands; often seen in dense vegetation such as brambles or nettles.