Family Limoniidae - Limoniid Crane Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited

Species Limonia communis - Limonia communis - male

BG0999 C9513 - Dicranoptycha nigripes - male

Mating Crane Flies - Limonia - male - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))

Infraorder Tipulomorpha

Family Limoniidae (Limoniid Crane Flies)

Other Common Names

Meadow Crane Flies (?)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Formerly a subfamily, Limoniinae, of Tipulidae.

Explanation of Names

limon is Greek for meadow (1)

Numbers

Large family with many species (2)

Identification

terminal (fourth) segment of maxillary palpus short or subequal to third segment

antennae usually with 14 or 16 segments

The above characteristics of Limoniidae (and the differences in Tipulidae mentioned below) were noted in a comment by Chen Young here:

See Also

in Tipulidae:

terminal (fourth) segment of maxillary palpus elongate, longer than first three segments combined

antennae usually with 13 segments

Internet References

Crane Flies of Pennsylvania (Chen Young and James Fetzner, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh)

Limoniidae - Wikipedia

Works Cited

1.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms By Donald J. Borror

2.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico By Ross H. Arnett

Contributed by Joel Kits on 14 April, 2005 - 7:45pm
Additional contributions by Stephen Cresswell, Robin McLeod, Chen Young, Mike Quinn
Last updated 26 January, 2009 - 10:38am

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