Panorpa nuptialis, wing

Another drawing for morphology class, this time the wing of Panorpa nuptialis (Mecoptera: Panorpidae). It's pretty much the a basic wing design as far as the holometabolous insects go. Both wings are approximately the same size, similar veination.

I used an occular grid in a microscope to make the drawing; this was more difficult because the wing didn't fit into the grid; I had to move each wing three times to draw them entirely. The resulting sketch was then flipped using a coping machine; this was traced and transferred onto vellum bristol and inked.

Working time: approx. 12 hours.

Unlike most scorpionflies in the US, this species exists throughout much of the south-central region. It's range extends as far north as southern Illinois (at least, within one mile of the southern border of Illinois), east through Tennessee and Mississippi, west through Texas and south through northern Mexico. Adults feed on dead or dying soft-bodied insects.