Panorpidae

Somma, Louis A. & Dunford, James C., 2008, Preliminary Checklist of the Mecoptera of Florida: Earwigflies, Hangingflies, and Scorpionflies, Insecta Mundi 2008 (42), pp. 1-9 : 3-4

Panorpidae - Scorpionflies

Six described and one undescribed species of panorpids, represented by the genus Panorpa Linnaeus , occur in Florida. Five of these, Panorpa lugubris Swederus , Panorpa rufa Gray , Panorpa floridana Byers , Panorpa pachymera Byers and Panorpa americana Swederus , were previously recorded from the state. Panorpa lugubris , the black scorpionfly ( Fig. 2 ), is clearly the most widespread and abundant scorpionfly indigenous to Florida (Glover in Hagen 1861; Hine 1901a, b; Carpenter 1931, 1935; Byers 1954, 1993). Specimens of this species in FSCA represent 15 counties that include the panhandle, northern peninsular and portions of central peninsular Florida, as far south as Orange and Pinellas counties ( Table 1). A larval Panorpa collected from Glen St. Mary, Baker County, Florida, on 27 January 1961 by E. W. Holder was putatively assigned to P. lugubris by G. W. Byers ( Table 1). Additionally, a map provided by Byers (1993) includes Escambia, Jackson, and Manatee counties; the lattermost being the southernmost record for P. lugubris in Florida and the continental United States. Lastly, on 29 March 2007, FSCA gifted 24 pinned adult P. lugubris to NMNH that were collected from Leon (N = 10), Baker (N = 7), and Alachua (N = 7) counties, Florida.

Panorpa rufa , the red scorpionfly, is indigenous to northern Florida. Byers (1954, 1993) and FSCA specimens ( Table 1) limit this species to the panhandle in addition to disjunct records from Alachua County in the northern peninsula. The Alachua County records are the southernmost in the United States. FSCA gifted 2 pinned adult specimens from Gulf and Okaloosa counties, Florida, respectively, to NMNH on 29 March 2007. In addition to the 5 counties listed in Table 1, Byers (1954, 1993) includes Bay and Holmes counties in the Florida panhandle.

Panorpa floridana , the Florida scorpionfly, is endemic to Florida and is only known from Alachua and Clay counties ( Byers 1993; Table 1). The two specimens in FSCA are the holotype from Alachua County, Florida (near the San Felasco Hammock, Gainesville, 10 November 1970, one male collected by L. A. Hetrick; Fig. 3 ), and a paratype from Clay County, Florida (Orange Park, 25 December 1936, one male collected by K. Wheeler) ( Byers 1993). Additionally, Byers (1993) lists an allotype from Clay County, Florida (Gold Head Branch State Park, 20 November 1982, one female collected by S. W. Gross); and two more paratypes from Florida (Alachua County, 8 November 1974, one female collected by D. Richman; and Gold Head Branch State Park, Clay County, 20 November 1982, one male collected by S. W. Gross).

Byers (1993) tentatively assigned a Panorpa specimen from Santa Rosa County, in the Florida panhandle, to P. pachymera , the stout-genitaled scorpionfly. Additionally, Carpenter’s (1931) record for Panorpa rufescens Rambur , the rufous scorpionfly, from Madison County, northern Florida, before this species group was split by Byers (1993), potentially could be referable to P. pachymera . Other than these two presumptive records, there exist two P. pachymera from Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida (4 December 1918, one male and one female collected by G. B. Merrill) and four from Leon County, Florida (Tall Timbers Research Station, 6-7 May 1968, one male and two females collected by H. V. Weems Jr.; and 6 May 1968, one male collected by G. H. Heinrich). These FSCA specimens verify the existence of P. pachymera in Florida ( Table 1). The Alachua County specimens are the southernmost records from the United States.

Panorpa americana ( Fig. 4 ), the American scorpionfly, is limited to the Florida panhandle ( Carpenter 1931; Byers 1954, 1993; Table 1). Additionally, 12 pinned adult P. americana from Okaloosa County, Florida, were gifted from FSCA to NMNH on 29 March 2007.

We report the first state records for Panorpa venosa Westwood , the veined scorpionfly, in Florida; they include Baker ( Glen St. Mary, 17-28 November 1960, two males and two females collected by H. V. Weems Jr.) and Leon counties ( Tall Timbers Research Station , 4-17 May 1996, one female collected by P. W. Kovarik) ( Table 1). These specimens are the southernmost records for this species .

Several specimens of Panorpa from Florida in FSCA are not assigned to species ( Table 1). These include six larval Panorpa from Glen St. Mary, Baker County, Florida, collected on 14 January 1961 by E. W. Holder. Additionally, a single adult female from the J. & E. Turf Farm, north of LaCrosse, in the Santa Fe River floodplain, Alachua County, Florida, collected 19-26 July 1986 by G. J. Steck and B. D. Sutton, only can be assigned to the Panorpa virginica Banks , Virginia scorpionfly, species group ( Table 1). Lastly, an undescribed species of Panorpa is represented by a poorly preserved male in alcohol, collected on 3 August 1948 from an unspecified locality in Putnam County, Florida ( Table 1). There are not enough discernable characters preserved on this headless specimen to allow it to be described, but it is a member of the P. virginica species group (G. W. Byers pers. comm. 2007).

Figures

Figure 1-4. 1) Habitus of male Bittacus punctiger, spotted hangingfly, from Alachua County, Florida. Image by James C. Dunford. 2) Habitus of male Panorpa lugubris, black scorpionfly, from unknown locality, Florida. Image by Gary J. Steck. 3) Habitus of male Panorpafloridana holotype, Florida scorpionfly,from Alachua County, Florida. Image by James C. Dunford. 4) Habitus of male Panorpa americana, American scorpionfly, from Liberty County, Florida. Image by James C. Dunford.