- crane fly
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—crane-fly, adj.any of numerous nonbiting insects constituting the family Tipulidae, inhabiting damp areas and resembling a large mosquito with extremely long legs.[1650-60]
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Harmless, slow-flying dipteran (family Tipulidae) usually found around water or abundant vegetation.It ranges in size from tiny to slightly over 1 in. (2.5 cm) long. Larvae of the range crane fly (Tipula simplex) are called leatherjackets because of their tough brown skin. In northern latitudes a wingless crane-fly species is found on snow. The crane fly is also called daddy longlegs in English-speaking countries other than the U.S. (in the U.S., daddy longlegs refers to an arachnid).* * *
▪ insectalso called daddy longlegsany insect of the family Tipulidae (order Diptera). In English-speaking countries other than the United States, the crane fly is popularly called daddy longlegs because it has a slender, mosquito-like body and extremely long legs. (In the United States, “daddy longlegs” generally refers to an arachnid.) Ranging in size from tiny to almost 3 cm (1.2 inches) long, these harmless, slow-flying insects are usually found around water or among abundant vegetation. The best-known species, the range crane fly (Tipula simplex), deposits its small black eggs in damp areas. Each egg hatches into a long slender larva, called a leatherjacket because of its tough brown skin. The larvae usually feed on decaying plant tissue; some species are carnivorous, and others damage the roots of cereal and grass crops. The larvae feed all winter, then enter a resting stage in the spring. The adult feeding habits are not yet known. In northern latitudes a species of slow-crawling, wingless crane fly is found on snow.Related to the Tipulidae are the primitive crane flies, Tanyderidae; the phantom crane flies, Ptychopteridae; and the winter gnats, or winter crane flies, Trichoceridae. These families closely resemble the Tipulidae, but the insects are smaller in size.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
