Meropeidae

Definition

A family of minute scorpionflies (order Mecoptera) comprising three extant species of 'earwigflies'—Merope tuber in North America, Austromerope poultoni in Western Australia, and A. brasiliensis in South America. Characterized by earwig-like, forceps-shaped male genitalia and a presumed basal position within Mecoptera. The family has an extensive fossil record extending to the Jurassic, with extinct genera including Boreomerope, Burmomerope, and Torvimerope, making extant members living fossils. Larval stages remain unknown and adult feeding behavior unobserved, though saprophagy is suspected.

Etymology

From the type genus Merope (Greek: one of the Pleiades) + -idae (family suffix)

Example

Merope tuber, the only Nearctic member of Meropeidae, was first described in 1878 but its larval habitat and feeding ecology remain entirely undocumented despite more than a century of entomological collection in eastern North America.

Synonyms

• Earwigflies

Related Terms

• Mecoptera
• Merope
• Austromerope
• Scorpionflies
• living fossil
• Boreomerope
• Thaumatomeropidae
• Burmese amber

Usage Notes

Sometimes misspelled 'Meropidae' (a family of birds). The family's phylogenetic placement as basal within Mecoptera makes it significant for understanding scorpionfly evolution, though this position should be cited with contemporary phylogenetic studies. The common name 'earwigfly' refers only to male genital morphology; these insects are not related to Dermaptera (true earwigs). Historical inclusion of Thaumatomerope in Meropeidae was rejected in 2002 when that genus was placed in its own monotypic family Thaumatomeropidae.