Family Trichoceridae - Winter Crane Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Identification · Season · Life Cycle · See Also · Internet References

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

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

Infraorder Tipulomorpha

Family Trichoceridae (Winter Crane Flies)

Other Common Names

winter midge

winter gnat

Numbers

Nearctica lists 28 nearctic species. 26 of them in the genus Trichocera. One each in the other two genera: Diazosma and Paracladura.

About 110 species worldwide (Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog).

Identification

Often confused for true crane flies (Tipulidae) or mosquitoes (Culicidae), Trichoceridae can be distinguished by the presence of ocelli.

Wing venation:

Season

Tend to fly when cool, spring and fall, or even winter in warmer climates.

Life Cycle

Larvae scavenge in decaying vegetation, etc.

See Also

Crane flies Tipulidae

Mosquitoes Culicidae

Internet References

Wikipedia--Trichoceridae

Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog

Contributed by Richard Leung on 9 November, 2004 - 8:23pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset
Last updated 17 September, 2008 - 8:04am

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