scorpionfly

or scor·pion fly

[ skawr-pee-uh n-flahy ]
/ ˈskɔr pi ənˌflaɪ /

noun, plural scor·pi·on·flies.

any of several harmless insects of the order Mecoptera, the male of certain species having a reproductive structure that resembles the sting of a scorpion.

Origin of scorpionfly

First recorded in 1660–70; scorpion + fly2

British Dictionary definitions for scorpion fly

scorpion fly

noun

any of various insects of the family Panorpidae, of the N hemisphere, having a scorpion-like but nonvenomous tail in the males, long antennae, and a beaklike snout: order Mecoptera