The Mecopterans are an ancient order of insect that first appeared in the Pennsylvanian, some 300 million years ago. The order contains some 500 extant species. What appears to be a proboscis is really just part of the long head of a scorpion fly. The male abdomen is frequently turned upwards and swollen, resembling the tail of a scorpion - hence the common name of the taxon. Despite the large wings, the adults rarely fly very far and spend much of their time crawling. They are mainly carnivorous, eating aphids and other small insects, but are not agressive predators, preferring dead or injured prey.

Gallery of Fossil Scorpionfly Images
	Female Scorpionfly Mecoptera Lower Cretaceous (~125 million years old) Yixian Formation, Chao Yang, Liaoning Province of China	Scorpionfly Mecoptera Lower Cretaceous (~125 million years old) Yixian Formation, Chao Yang, Liaoning Province of China