Hangingfly

Key takeaways

Hangingfly belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hangingfly to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hangingfly from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Bittacidae is a family of scorpionflies commonly called hangingflies or hanging scorpionflies. The genus Bittacus, comprising approximately 75% of all species within the family, occurs worldwide. Other genera are mostly confined to South America or Australia. Members of this family may be confused with crane flies, in the order Diptera, but can be distinguished by their two pairs of wings and lack of halteres. They are distinguished in the fact that during mating the male captures a prey insect and offers it to the female as a nuptial gift. The larger the prey item is, the more receptive the female will be to mating.

Genera This list is based on The World Checklist of extant Mecoptera Species. Presumably complete up to 1997, it is updated as needed. The number of species in each genus are in parentheses. A number of extinct(†) genera have been described from the fossil record.

Anabittacus (1) Kimmins, 1929 (Chile) Anomalobittacus (1) Kimmins, 1928 (South Africa) Apterobittacus (1) MacLachlan, 1893 (California) Austrobittacus (1) Riek, 1954 (Australia) Bittacus (124) Latreille, 1805 (worldwide) Edriobittacus (1) Byers, 1974 (Australia) Harpobittacus (12) Gerstaecker, 1885 (Australia) Hylobittacus (1) Byers, 1979 (United States, Mexico + fossil species from the Eocene Bitterfield and Baltic amber of Europe) Issikiella (5) Byers, 1972 (South America) Kalobittacus (8) Esben-Petersen, 1914 (Central America) Nannobittacus (4) Esben-Petersen, 1927 (Brazil to Panama) Neobittacus (2) Esben-Petersen, 1914 (Brazil) Orobittacus Villegas & Byers, 1982 (California) Pazius (8) Navás, 1913 (Brazil to Panama) Symbittacus Byers, 1986 (Australia) Tytthobittacus Smithers, 1973 (Australia + fossil species from the Early Cretaceous (Berriasian) aged Purbeck Group) Extinct genera

†Antiquanabittacus (1) Petrulevicius and Jarzembowski 2004 Weald Clay, United Kingdom, Early Cretaceous (Barremian) †Archebittacus (1) Riek, 1955 (Mount Crosby Formation, Australia, Late Triassic (Norian) †Asiobittacus (1) Novokshonov 1993 Sagul Formation, Kyrgyzstan, Early Jurassic (Toarcian) †Baissobittacus (1) Novokshonov 1997 Zaza Formation, Russia, Early Cretaceous (Aptian) †Burmobittacus (1) Zhao et al. 2016 Burmese amber, Myanmar, mid Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) †Composibittacus (2) Liu et al. 2016 Daohugou, China, Middle Jurassic (Callovian) †Cretobittacus (1) Novokshonov 1993 Zaza Formation, Russia, Aptian †Decoribittacus (2) Li and Ren 2009 Daohugou, China, Callovian †Exilibittacus (3) Yang et al. 2012 Daohugou, China, Callovian †Formosibittacus (1) Li, Ren & Shih, 2008 Daohugou, China, Callovian †Haplobittacus (1) Bode 1953 Posidonia Shale, Germany, Toarcian) †Jurahylobittacus (1) Li, Ren & Shih, 2008 Daohugou, China, Callovian †Karattacus (2) Novokshonov 1997 Daohugou, China, Callovian Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic †Liaobittacus (1) Ren 1993 Haifanggou Formation, China, Callovian †Mesobittacus (4) Handlirsch 1939 Posidonia Shale, "Green Series", Germany, Toarcian, Itat Formation, Russia, Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) †Mongolbittacus (3) Petrulevicius, Huang & Ren, 2007 Daohugou, China, Callovian †Neorthophlebia (12) Handlirsch 1906 Dzhil Formation, Kyrgyzstan, Early Jurassic (Hettangian-Sinemurian) Posidonia Shale, "Green Series", Germany, Sulyukta Formation, Kyrgyzstan, Toarcian, Tugnuy Formation, Russia, Upper Jurassic, Tuodian Formation, China, Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) †Orobittacus (2) Villegas and Byers 1981 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic, Sharteg, Mongolia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian) †Orthobittacus (4) Willmann 1989 Kyzyl-Kiya, Kyrgyzstan, Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian), Daohugou, China, Callovian, Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic †Palaeobittacus (1) Carpenter 1928 Green River Formation, Colorado, Eocene †Parabittacus (2) Handlirsch 1939 Posidonia Shale, "Green Series", Germany, Toarcian †Pleobittacus (1) Bode 1953 Posidonia Shale, Germany, Toarcian †Plesiobittacus (1) Novokshonov 1997 Sagul Formation, Kyrgyzstan, Toarcian †Preanabittacus (2) Novokshonov 1993 Daohugou, China, Callovian Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic †Probittacus (1) Martynov 1927 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic †Prohylobittacus (1) Novokshonov 1993 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic †Scharabittacus (3) Novokshonov 1993 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic Sharteg, Mongolia, Tithonian †Sibirobittacus (3) Sukacheva 1990 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic Glushkovo Formation, Russia, Tithonian, Yixian Formation, China, Aptian

References

External links Media related to Bittacidae at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hangingfly

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hangingfly claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hangingfly before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hangingfly ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hangingfly

In research: Hangingfly appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hangingfly in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hangingfly is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Hangingflies, Mecoptera, Taxa named by Anton Handlirsch, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hangingfly outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Hangingfly in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hangingfly means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hangingfly out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hangingfly in simple terms?

Bittacidae is a family of scorpionflies commonly called hangingflies or hanging scorpionflies. The genus Bittacus, comprising approximately 75% of all species within the family, occurs worldwide.

Why does Hangingfly matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hangingfly?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hangingfly.