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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Crane Flies (Tipulomorpha) » Large Crane Flies (Tipulidae)

Family Tipulidae - Large Crane Flies

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited
Crane Fly - Nephrotoma alterna - female Crane Fly - Tipula - female Crane fly - Nephrotoma wulpiana - female Green-eyed Crane Fly - male Crane Fly - Tipula? - female 2018-07-28 Large orange crane fly - female crane fly in Sundale Neighborhood morning of 2020 May 12 - Tipula - female Tipula abdominalis - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))
Infraorder Tipulomorpha (Crane Flies)
Family Tipulidae (Large Crane Flies)
Explanation of Names
Tipulidae Latreille 1802
see Tipula
common name alludes to long legs
Numbers
3 subfamilies, with >560 spp. in 12 genera in our area (80% in Tipula), ~4,400 spp. in ~30 genera worldwide(1)
Identification
terminal (fourth) segment of maxillary palpus elongate, longer than first three segments combined (short or subequal to third segment in Limoniidae)
antennae usually 13-segmented (14- or 16-segmented in Limoniidae)
(per Chen Young's comment)
keys to CA spp. in(2)
Range
worldwide and throughout NA(1)
Food
Most larvae are herbivorous. Adults of many species can feed on sugary substances, some frequent flowers. Many species likely do not feed.
Life Cycle
At some stage in their life cycle, crane flies occupy about every habitat on or under a tree.(3)
Larva • pupa • ♀♂adults
Internet References
(4)
Works Cited
1.Oosterbroek P. (2023) Catalogue of the craneflies of the world
2.The crane flies of California
Alexander C.P. 1967. Bull. Calif. Insect Survey 8: 1-269.
3.Hidden Company that Trees Keep: Life from Treetops to Root Tips
James B. Nardi. 2023. Princeton University Press.
4.The Craneflies (Diptera:Tipulidae) of Pennsylvania
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Vox Sciurorum, v belov, Marci Hess, Arturo Santos
Last updated 28 December, 2023 - 7:12pm

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