-
Etymology of the earwigfly, Merope tuber Newman (Mecoptera: Meropeidae): Simply dull or just inscrutable?
(2007)
- The naturalist Edward Newman did not provide an etymology for the mecopteran Merope tuber when he described it in 1838. In 1872 Asa Fitch asserted that the genus was named after Merope one of the Pleiades sisters of Greek mythology; however, he provided no reason for his assumption. We researched several etymological alternatives. We concur with Fitch and conclude that Newman did indeed name the genus Merope after the dullest of the Pleiades sisters.
-
Preliminary Checklist of the Mecoptera of Florida: Earwigflies, Hangingflies, and Scorpionflies
(2008)
- We provide the first species checklist of Mecoptera indigenous to Florida, based upon preliminary data gathered primarily from specimens housed in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods. There are 11 described and one undescribed species of mecopterans, representing three families, inhabiting the state of Florida. These include the recently discovered meropeid (earwigfly), Merope tuber Newman, four species of bittacids (hangingflies), represented by the genus Bittacus Latreille, and 7 species (one undescribed) of panorpids (scorpionflies), represented by the genus Panorpa Linnaeus. We are not certain if one of these, Bittacus texanus Banks, is indigenous, represents a nonindigenous occurrence, or is simply erroneous. Two of the species on our list, Bittacus stigmaterus Say and Panorpa venosa Westwood, represent first state records and one species, Panorpa floridana Byers, is endemic. Six of the species which have been recorded in Florida, M. tuber, Bittacus punctiger Westwood, Panorpa rufa Gray, Panorpa pachymera Byers, Panorpa lugubris Swederus and P. venosa, represent the southernmost records for these species in the continental United States. Perceived diversity and abundance of mecopteran species in Florida are limited by climate, biogeography, and collection bias.
-
Records for Bittacus Hangingflies and Panorpa Scorpionflies (Mecoptera: Bittacidae and Panorpidae) in Florida
(2009)
- We provide new county records for four species of panorpids (Panorpa americana Swederus, Panorpa lugubris Swederus, Panorpa sp. undetermined, and one undescribed species from the Panorpa rufescens Rambur species group) and two species of bittacids (Bittacus pilicornis Westwood, Bittacus punctiger Westwood), and call attention to a previously published county record for another species, Panorpa rufa Gray, in Florida. Additionally, we reject a previously published record for the scorpionfly Panorpa claripennis Hine in Florida, which we overlooked in our 2008 preliminary checklist of Florida mecopterans. The record for P. lugubris in Miami-Dade County is the southernmost record for any panorpid in the continental United States.
-
First record for the recently discovered hangingfly Bittacus monastyrskiyi Bicha, 2007 (Mecoptera: Bittacidae) from Há Tay Province, Vietnam
(2009)
- I provide the first record for the recently described hangingfly, Bittacus monastyrskiyi Bicha, 2007, from Há Tay Province (Ba Vi National Park), Vietnam, along with new seasonal, altitudinal, and habitat data. This is the only described species of bittacid from Vietnam, and this new record extends its range 100 km northnorthwest from its type locality in Cuc Phuong National Park, Thanh Hoa Province.
-
New collections and records for earwigflies and scorpionflies (Mecoptera: Meropeidae and Panorpidae) in Florida
(2011)
- I add new collection and phenological data on the North American earwigfly, Merope tuber Newman, and new county records for the red scorpionfly, Panorpa rufa Gray, and veined scorpionfly, Panorpa venosa Westwood, in Florida. Additionally, I report on a new Georgia county record for the extralimital species, Panorpa ferruginea Byers, the ferruginous scorpionfly, and speculate on its potential occurrence in Florida.
-
A state record for the Oconee scorpionfly, Panorpa oconee Byers (Mecoptera: Panorpidae), in Florida
(2010)
- I provide the first state record for the Oconee scorpionfly, Panorpa oconee Byers, from Putnam County, Florida. This is the southernmost record for P. oconee, extends its range 321 km south of its known distribution and, if valid, adds a seventh described species of panorpid, and twelfth mecopteran, indigenous to Florida.
