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Ctenophora (Tanyptera) dorsalis Walker [^Top] Adult crane flies of this species are highly polished, and black, yellow or red in color. They superficially resemble ichneumonid wasps than other crane flies. Antennal segments of male branched (three branches on each segment) and of female either branched or serrate. The female of this species has elongated acicular ovipositor. They frequent open, wet or mixed woodlands. The larvae live in decaying wood of recently dead deciduous hardwood trees, often in prostrate trunks that are fairly sound. This species exhibits extreme polymorphism in body color and body size of both sexes. The following images are of the same scale to show the ranges in body size (16-28 mm) and the color variation within species. The wing colors also vary from smoky-black, brown, brownish-yellow, to transparent. The two mating pair images below show copulation between two color forms.
Ctenophora (Ctenophora) apicata (Osten Sacken) [^Top] Adult flies of this species also vary in body color from black to reddish-yellow with dark markings. Wings also exhibit various patterns, either entirely darkened, or yellowish, with the entire apex beyond the cord strongly darkened. They differ from the previous species in that the male antennae branched with only two branches in each segment, and the female has a relatively short ovipositor. Adults are often found flying about in open woodlands. The larvae of this species also live in decaying wood.
Ctenophora (Ctenophora) nubecula
Osten Sacken
Adult
flies of this species are less variable in body color than
the previous species.
Wings are nearly hyaline, tinged with yellow in
costal region with a large brown cloud between cord and
wing-tips, not reaching the apex.
Thorax is yellow in color with a wedge shaped median
brown stripe.
Adults are often found flying about in open woodlands.
The larvae of this species also live in decaying
wood.
Dolichopeza (Dolichopeza) americana Needham [^Top] Flies of the genus Dolichopeza have legs that are usually long and slender. Most of the species in our area are very similar in appearance and are most readily separated by characters of the external structures of male genitalia. Dr. George W. Byers (1961) published a detailed study of this group. The adults are among the local flies often found in small dancing groups in darkened shady places, as in shaded spots in woods, beneath culverts and bridges, in outhouses, in crannies and caverns of shaded cliffs, beneath overhanging boulders, in hollows in standing or fallen trees, in the shade of uprooted shallow tree roots, and other shady places. They hang from the roof of their haunts by either two or four legs, with the rest of the legs hanging pendant. The larvae are sluggish and of a rather dark green color. They feed on moss and are often found in moss cushions. One or two generations have been observed in our area. In North America, Dolichopeza americana is the only species in its subgenus. They can be separated from all the other Dolichopeza species by having their wings with cell 1st M2 open, and by adult flies having brown legs except all the tarsal segments that are snowy white.
Dolichopeza (Oropeza) carolus Alexander [^Top] All the other species of Dolichopeza in our area belong to the subgenus Oropeza. Some of these species are so closely resemble one another that they can be distinguishable only by microscopic examination. There is some ecological separation of the species determined by the microhabitat. Darker colored species are usually present in deeply shaded environments, and those with lighter colored tend to be found in more open shade of forest and marsh vegetation. Dolichopeza carolus is the only local species in this subgenus that has snowy white tarsi; all the other species within subgenus Oropeza have dark brown, brown or yellowish tarsi.
Dolichopeza (Oropeza) tridenticulata
Alexander
Dolichopeza tridenticulata has a dusky brown color and are
easily found in great numbers at their shaded daytime haunts
often with other dark colored
Dolichopeza species.
They are often taken from exposed tree roots, overhanging banks,
and places offering deep shade.
This is one of the smaller species in the group with body
sized of 7 - 12mm, and wings 8 – 13mm.
There are two emergence peaks in our area in June and
August. Previously
known range is from Manitoba to Quebec and Maine, southward to
Missouri and Georgia.
Other species of Dolichopeza (Oropeza) group: [^Top]
Leptotarsus (Longurio) testaceus (Loew) [^Top] Both male and female adults of this species have greatly elongated abdomen (50-60 mm), somewhat resembling that of a dragonfly. It is one of the largest crane flies in local fauna. Adults of this species occur locally in July. The adult flies are found near rapidly flowing streams in cool, shaded woods. They usually hang from tree branches along wooded streams. They are very wary and difficult to catch, usually alighting in midst of brush and make it impossible to capture by net. The larvae are aquatic, living in sand or gravel in the streambed. The semi-transparent larvae of this species and the larvae of Tipula abdominalis are probably the two largest crane fly larvae to be found in streams of
eastern North America.
Genus
Nephrotoma
Meigen
The genus
Nephrotoma
includes about 475 recognized species worldwide, with a total of
40 species in the Nearctic Region (Oosterbroek 2005).
Nineteen species were documented to occur in
Nephrotoma alterna (Walker) [^Top] The adult flies are 10-16 mm in size. Body coloration of flies of this species is general yellow and conspicuously variegated by black, including three praescutal stripes; the outer pair curved lateral into an opaque black spot. The wing tips are darkened. This is a characteristic future for this species. This is a woodland species and is commonly found in the bottomland woods, and in the moist thickets along streams. Females were often observed ovipositing into wet soil in forest floor.
Nephrotoma eucera
(Loew)
The adult
flies are 15-20 mm in size.
Flies of this species are yellow in thorax color with
polished mesonotum, and have lateral black dashes on dorsum of
abdominal segments.
Flies of both sexes have bicolored antennae with base yellow and
more than 16 segments.
This species occurs throughout the summer with two peak
emergence, in June.
They are common in bottomland forests and more mesic parts of
the
Nephrotoma ferruginea (Fabricius) [^Top] This is one of the first North American crane flies to be described. It is the most common and widespread species in the genus Nephrotoma in our area and the one most likely to be found in urban and suburban habitats. Species of Nephrotoma can be recognized by their short, oblique Rs vein, and by their highly polished body coloration. The adults of N. ferruginea are 12-16 mm in size and are rusty red with a row of black triangular spots on the dorsal side of the abdomen. They can easily be found in grasslands, lawns, and the edges of woods. Males can be found flying up and down around small bushes in search of females during the early morning and late afternoon. The larvae of this species inhabit earth or leaf mold and feed on decaying plant debris and grass roots. Two generations occur in Pennsylvania, one in May and the other in September.
Nephrotoma macrocera
(Say)
The adult
flies are 12-17 mm in size.
Flies of this species are yellow to pale yellow in
thorax color, and have lateral black dashes on dorsum of
abdominal segments.
Males flies have very long (10-11 mm), bicolored
antennae. This
species occurs throughout the summer with two peaks of
emergence, in June and August.
They are common in bottomland forests and more mesic
parts of the
Nephrotoma pedunculata (Loew) [^Top]
This is one of the North American Nephrotoma species in our area that has highly polished body coloration. The adults of N. pedunculata are 13-17 mm in size and are orange-yellow, heavily patterned with black. The head with a distinct dark triangular occipital brand located at posterior edge. The wings are uniformly subhyaline with yellow costal border and dark brown stigma. The basal five abdominal segments are yellow with conspicuous bands of black at posterior end. Their polished body coloration is similar to a few species of Tipula in the subgenus Nobilotipula, especially Tipula collaris and T. nobilis. The following two characters can separate them readily. First, the Rs in Nephrotoma is short, while it is relatively long in Nobilotipula. Also in females, species of Nephrotoma have a pointed ovipositor, while it is blunt in Nobilotipula. The images below illustrate the differences between these two groups.
Nephrotoma pedunculata can be found in the edges of woods. Females can be observed bouncing up and down laying eggs along trails in wooded areas, especially over slightly damp forest floors. Like most of the Nephrotoma, larvae of this species inhabit earth or leaf mold and feed on decaying plant debris and grass roots.
Nephrotoma virescens (Loew) [^Top] The adult flies are 10-12 mm in size. Flies of this species show strongly greenish coloration in life, and paling to yellow in preserved specimens. Thoracic stripes black and curved laterally into a velvety-black spot, abdomen often with black markings. A woodland species and males are frequently observed flying close to the forest floor in search of freshly emerged females.
Other related species of Nephrotoma: [^Top]
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Tipula (Arctotipula) williamsiana Alexander [^Top] This distinctively large (26-34 mm), early spring species of crane fly occurs in late March through mid April in our area. Although it was originally described from two sites in South Carolina and Tennessee in 1940, there have been no subsequent literature records for this species. This despite large numbers of stream surveys conducted throughout Eastern North America in the last 30 years. Our study discovered this species in 1986 in Powdermill Nature Reserve, Westmoreland County for the state record of Pennsylvania. The preliminary results of our survey indicated this species has a very limited distribution, unusual habitat requirements or both. This species has been collected mainly in the vicinity of non-polluted spring-fed headwater streams and does not occur in any of the acid-polluted streams. This unique requirement for its habitat shows great potential for this species to serve as reliable indicator for ecosystem health. This species is the first large crane fly to occur in spring and probably serves as a steady food source for several of the small migratory songbirds such as Louisiana water thrushes along streams in its habitat. Carnegie Museum surveys have also taken additional specimens of this species from West Virginia.
Tipula (Beringotipula) borealis Walker [^Top] The adults of this species reach 13-17 mm in size and have wings variously clouded and spotted with brown and gray. Antennae are bicolorous and elongated in males. This species is most numerous in midsummer and commonly found in wet woodlands. Larvae of this species occur in well-rotted logs, under the surface mosses or in the very decayed outer layers of fallen tree trunks, in saturated forest soil (Gelhaus, 1986).
Tipula (Lindnerina) senega Alexander [^Top] This is primarily a spring boreal species and often was collected at lights. They were also commonly found in low herbaceous plants at edge of woods. Adult flies are pale yellow in color and their wings are patterned with pale clouds. Female ovipositor has relatively short and broad cerci. Adults reach 12-15 mm in length. Larvae stages are unknown.
Tipula (Lunatipula) apicalis Loew [^Top] Subgenus Lunatipula, with 12 documented species and another equal number of potential species, is one of the two large subgenera within genus Tipula in our area. Some of the characters for Lunatiipula are: Squama with a group of setae; Veins beyond cord often with trichia; tibial spur formula 1-2-2; claws usually with basal tooth; and male genitalia with tergite and sternite distinct. Adults of Tipula apicalis are 12-16 mm in size and locally abundant in forest edges and also on herbaceous plants in grassy fields. One spring generation occurs in May and June in our area. Wing cells beyond cord of wing darkened, wing-apex narrowly but conspicuously darkened and this is the most distinct character for this species. Larvae of this species inhabit rich humid woodland soil with pieces of rotting wood. As most of larvae in the subgenus Lunatipula, this species has their dorsal spiracular lobes heavily sclerotized, and they also have golden-yellow macroscopic hairs on their dorsum.
Tipula (Lunatipula) bicornis Fabricius [^Top] Adults are 12-14 mm in size and locally abundant in forest edges and can be found on herbaceous plants in grassy fields. One spring generation occurs in May and June in our area. Mating pairs of fully matured males and newly emerged females were often observed in grassland during their peak flight season. Larvae of this species inhabit grassland and open fields. Crane flies of the bicornis group have their wings with cell 1st M2 very small, pentagonal, the upper face shorter than or subequal to the petiole of cell M1; ovipositor with short fleshy cerci; male genitalia enlarge, the tergite variously armed with fleshy lobes (Alexander 1942).
Tipula (Lunatipula) dietziana Alexander [^Top] Adults are 16-22 mm in size and locally abundant on moist, north-facing hillsides, and also on herbaceous plants in grassy fields. One spring generation occurs in April through early May and is one of the early spring species in our area. Body color of mesonotum is gray or grayish, praescutum has three brown stripes, and pleura are light gray. Wings are lightly darkening in costal region or along vein Cu. Previously known range from Kansas to New York and South Carolina.
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