common crane fly - Species Profile
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
not listed
Minnesota
not listed
Description
Tipula caloptera is a large common crane fly. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains. The larvae are semi-aquatic or aquatic. They are typically found in saturated soil, moss near the water’s edge, or submerged detritus. They feed on decomposing organic matter and algae. Adults are active from April through August. They are found in humid areas with wet ground, often near streams or lakes. While adults may occasionally take nectar, they live just a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs.
Adults are soft-bodied, yellowish brown, and 11⁄16″ to 1″ (18 to 25 mm) in length.
The head is small. There are two large compound eyes on the sides of the head and no simple eyes (ocelli). The compound eyes are bare, not covered with hairs. The mouth parts are at the end of a short but conspicuous, snout-like projection (rostrum) on the front of the head. At the tip of the rostrum, on the upper side, there is a short, pointed extension (nasus). The lower jaws (maxillae) have long sensory structures (palps) attached. Each palp has four segments. The fourth segment is antenna-like and very long, longer than the first three segments combined. The antennae are shorter than the thorax and they have 13 segments, a long scape at the base, a short connecting segment (pedicel), and a whip-like section (flagellum) with 11 segments (flagellomeres). The flagellomeres are simple, not branched. Each flagellomere is yellow with an enlarged dark base and a whorl of moderately long hairs at the base, giving the antennae a distinctly beaded and textured appearance.
The thorax is slightly humped. The upper thoracic plate (mesonotum) is pale with three dark longitudinal stripes. There is a distinct, V-shaped groove (suture) on top near the wing bases.
The abdomen is long and slender. The upper side of each segment is yellowish brown with a distinct, broad, dark, longitudinal sublateral stripe on each side. The lateral margins are gray. In the female, the last abdominal segment has a long, acutely pointed, egg-laying apparatus (ovipositor). In the male, the last segment is enlarged into a club-shaped structure (hypopygium) that houses the copulatory apparatus. The upperside (tergum) and underside (sternum) of the segment are fused into a continuous hardened (sclerotized) ring. The rear margin of the tergite has a single, very broad, median lobe at the tip.
The legs are long but not exceptionally long for a crane fly, and they are of normal stoutness. The last section (tarsus) is not longer than the third and fourth segments (femur and tibia) combined.
The wings have longitudinal brown and white stripes along the veins; there is a bold, dark seam on veins Cu and m-cu; the outer portion of cell R5 is white; and the basal half of cell m dark brown. This striking pattern of the wings is the feature that gives the crane fly its species epithet caloptera, from the Greek meaning “beautiful wing.” Dark tinting on the wing makes the individual clearly visible when in flight, resembling a moth. Both anal veins (A1, A2) are very long and reach the wing margin.
Size
Total length: 11⁄16″ to 1″ (18 to 25 mm)
Similar Species
Habitat
Humid areas with wet ground, often near streams or lakes
Ecology
Season
April to August
Behavior
Males often gather in swarms, performing a rhythmic mating “dance” above shoreline vegetation or low bushes to attract females. When a male seizes a female, the pair descends to nearby foliage to complete mating in a tail-to-tail position.
Life Cycle
The larvae overwinter in the ground or saturated sediment, remaining dormant beneath the frost line. When temperatures rise in the spring, they become active, finish feeding, and move toward the surface to transform into a pupa. The pupal stage lasts one to two weeks before the adult emerges. While adults may occasionally take nectar, they live just a few days—long enough to mate and lay eggs.
Larva Food/Hosts
Decomposing organic matter and algae
Adult Food
Nectar
Distribution
Occurrence
Taxonomy
Order
Suborder
Nematocera
Infraorder
Superfamily
Tipuloidea (Typical Crane Flies)
Family
Subfamily
Genus
Subgenus
Yamatotipula
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Common Names
This species has no common name. The common name of the genus Tipula is common crane flies, and it is applied here for convenience.
