(No common name)

FAMILY

Panorpidae

TAXONOMY

Panorpa nuptialis Gerstaecker, 1863, Texas, United States.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Adult body is reddish brown. Wings are amber in color, with striking bands of dark brown. Larva are caterpillar-like, pale, and encircled with rings of dark spots and setae.

DISTRIBUTION

South-central United States and northern Mexico.

HABITAT

Dense vegetation in open fields and pastureland. Larvae are found beneath the soil in these habitats.

BEHAVIOR

Adults are active only during the day and rest vertically on vegetation at night.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Adults and larvae feed primarily on feeble or dead soft-bodied insects.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Males infrequently offer a salivary secretion to the female. Females lay eggs in existing cracks in the soil, probing with the ovipositor until a suitable site is found. Larvae develop in about a month. Winter is passed in the pupal stage. Adults emerge in late fall and live nearly a month. This species may have two generations per year.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.