Male scorpion flies have large genitalia at the end to their abdomens that look like a scorpion’s sting. They are usually held up over the rear end of their bodies. The females have a tubular end to their abdomens but are otherwise similar in appearance to males.
Males use their wings and their false sting to attract females. This usually happens at night. Mating can be dangerous for the male as the female may decide to eat him. To avoid this, he presents her with a tasty, protein-rich morsel or a drop of saliva.
A single female mates with multiple males and stores their sperm in a storage organ until fertilization. The female lays the eggs in the soil, where the offspring, that look like caterpillars, spend their infancy until they mature the following spring.