Japanese Scorpionfly vs Emerald Cockroach Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Japanese Scorpionfly Emerald Cockroach Wasp
Scientific Name Panorpa japonica Ampulex compressa
Order Mecoptera Hymenoptera
Family Panorpidae Ampulicidae
Size 13-18 mm 22 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Fruit Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Asia Africa, Asia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Japanese Scorpionfly

A scorpionfly common in Japanese forests with spotted wings and a distinctive reddish-brown body. It feeds on dead insects and overripe fruit on the forest floor.

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Did You Know?

Japanese scorpionflies have been extensively studied for their complex mating rituals involving nuptial gifts and elaborate courtship displays.

Emerald Cockroach Wasp

A brilliant emerald-green wasp that zombifies cockroaches. It delivers precise stings to the cockroachs brain, removing its escape reflex. Then leads it by the antenna like a dog on a leash.

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Did You Know?

The emerald cockroach wasp performs neurosurgery — it stings a cockroach twice in precise brain locations to disable its escape reflex, then walks it to a burrow like a zombie.