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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Tipulomorpha » Winter Crane Flies (Trichoceridae)

Family Trichoceridae - Winter Crane Flies

Porchlight Swarm - Trichocera Crane Fly at Bug Light - Trichocera Small Cranefly? Winter Crane Fly - Trichocera Long legged fly to ID. Crane Fly help please Limoniid Crane Fly - Trichocera Night arrivals
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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