Panorpa lugubris Swederus

Stark, Bill P., Lago, Paul K., Harrison, Audrey B. & Smith, William E., 2016, A Preliminary Annotated Checklist of Mississippi Mecoptera (Insecta), Insecta Mundi 2016 (469), pp. 1-15 : 11

Panorpa lugubris Swederus

Panorpa lugubris Swederus, 1787:279 . “America Septentrionale”

Distribution. AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, VA.

Published Mississippi Records. Four sites in SE Mississippi on Map 1, Byers (1993) and Byers (1962a) reported 1 ♂, 1 ♀ from Wiggins, Harrison Co., 26 October 1929, J.P. Kislanko.

New Mississippi Records. Hancock Co., 3 miles E Pearlington, T9S, R16W, Sec 26NE, 23 October 1992, T.L. Schiefer, 8 ♂, 6 ♀ (MEMU). Harrison Co., Landon, 20 October 1914, R.W. Harned, 1 ♀ (MEMU). Lafayette Co., July-August 1966, E.C. Napier, 1 ♀ (UMIC). Pike Co., Magnolia, 7 December 1920, A. McIntosh, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (MEMU).

Comments. Evans and Flint (2009) found Virginia specimens of this relatively uncommon species to be abundant in low vegetation in areas of mixed longleaf and pond pines. Specimens were elusive and active primarily during narrow windows of favorable thermal conditions. Byers (1993) states “… the range of lugubris and nuptialis meet but do not overlap.” Our Lafayette Co. specimen, if labeled correctly, might provide an exception to this. Unfortunately, the collection data are incomplete, and the circumstances of its presumed collection in Lafayette County are unknown to us. Specimens are typically found in the autumnal emergence period.