Meadow Scorpionfly

P. vulgaris are commonly distributed throughout central Europe. They prefer dry and warm habitats that provide shade at high temperatures and are most abundant along the edges of low-lying shrubs. Despite their environmental preference, smaller populations do occur in forested areas that experience moist and cool conditions.

The meadow scorpionfly develops two separate generations per year, one generation that undergoes overwintering in early spring and another that experiences a diapause free-developing stage in the summer. During their lifecycle individuals can survive up to two months.]

Individuals of both sexes are capable of foraging for food, they are heavily influenced by their environments. Intraspecific and interspecific competition is common between and within both sexes when food sources are limited. Both larvae and adults typically feed on dead arthropods, and adults are often kleptoparasites of spider webs. Adults are generally capable of avoiding spiderwebs when feeding on prey. Males will use their genital claspers and females will use their abdomens to remove prey from spider webs and will even strike spiders who attempt to interfere with them.