scorpion fly
- noun
- /ˈskɔːrpiən flaɪ/
:
mosca escorpión
- Researchers observed that the nuptial gifts provided by scorpion flies are essential for attracting mates.
- male scorpion fly
- Japanese scorpion fly
Examples
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In nature, scorpion flies are known for their unique feeding habits, often preying on other insects.
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Symmetrical scorpion flies appear to be favored by the forces of both sexual and natural selection.
Academic text (1993) -
Why should symmetry be such an apparently important measure of mating and fighting performance in scorpion flies?
Academic text (1993) -
In the summer of 1991, I traveled to Japan to study the mating success of male common Japanese scorpion flies.
Academic text (1993) -
Sauer and I bred the scorpion flies in the lab.
Academic text (1993) -
There seems little question that for many creatures, from humans to scorpion flies, symmetry is a key ingredient in the mysterious mix we call beauty.
Academic text (1993) -
To find out, I designed an experiment to test the relation between symmetry and survival in Japanese scorpion flies of both sexes.
Academic text (1993) -
Male German scorpion flies give females nuptial gifts of hardened masses of saliva.
Academic text (1993) -
Like many creatures, scorpion flies are bilaterally symmetrical, with three legs and two membranous wings on each side of the body.
Academic text (1993) -
The male scorpion fly has a distinctive curved tail that resembles that of a scorpion.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'scorpion fly' is compositionally transparent: it denotes a type of fly associated with or resembling a scorpion. A B1 learner who knows 'scorpion' and 'fly' can infer it is a kind of fly with scorpion-like features (the finer zoological detail that it is not venomous does not prevent basic comprehension).
Etymology
Scorpion fly: The name scorpion fly comes from the male's curved tail that looks like a scorpion, while the creature itself is a small fly and 'not venomous'. So the name points to its strange look, not to danger.
