Crane Fly - Liogma nodicornis

She doesn't look well to me...

The grossly distended abdomen doesn't suggest a gravid female nor freshly eclosed individual. I would tend to think that this is infection ... maybe by Nephrocerus, whose larvae are parasitoids of adult Tipula. Chen would know for sure.

… Stephen Luk, 12 July, 2007 - 10:23am

The venation of

this female crane fly indicates that she is Liogma nodicornis , one of the species in family Cylindrotomidae (or subfamily Cylindrotominae) and probably is a newly emerged one due to the lighter color. The bulge in the abdomen does look like a parasitic infection, but this usually occurs in mature flies. This is a new record for the state of Montana. Previously it has been reported in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and South Dakota.

… Chen Young, 13 July, 2007 - 10:06am

Thanks Chen...I am curious as

Thanks Chen...I am curious as to how this gets reported to the state for the record books?

… Tom Bentley, 13 July, 2007 - 10:14am

This will take some effort

to get done officially. You will need to collect specimens and deposite them either in university or museum that houses inscet collections. These specimens are the voucher for this species for that locality. Years down the road when some researcher decides to do a revision on Liogma (the last revision was done in 1967)then the locality will be included in the study and when the paper is published, there is the official record for that locality. This is also true for any other insects. As far as I know, image has not been treated as voucher for locality data - Chen

… Chen Young, 13 July, 2007 - 11:02am