Jesse Haworth just posted this picture of a crane fly on the MN Facebook photos page. You have to look carefully to appreciate the incredible length of its legs. You can see them better on the photo of this
Lunatipula sp. that landed on our patio door.
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| "My what lovely long legs you have, Lunatipula." |
There are 4250 plus species in the family Tipulidae. This one's leg span was over 4 inches, resembling a mosquito on steroids.
The pointed end of the abdomen suggests it is a female with an ovipositor which can be mistaken for a stinger.
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| Halteres - Wikimedia |
Unlike many other insects with 2 pair of wings, the order Diptera (flies, mosquitoes and gnats) have modified their second set of wings to form halteres. Although they resemble antennae that have slipped back onto the thorax, they are used for balance. They flap rapidly in flight, serving as a
type of gyroscope to stabilize the body in flight. This fascinating
mechanism is described further in
Wikipedia.
"Halteres thus act as a balancing and guidance system, helping these insects to perform their fast aerobatics.
In addition to providing rapid feedback to the muscles steering the
wings, they also play an important role in stabilizing the head during
flight."
A common name for them is mosquito hawk, but in fact most adults don't have mouth parts and do not feed, flying only to mate and breed.
And "hawk" they ain't as their flight skills are almost embarrassing. It is very uncoordinated and erratic. They tend to “wobble” in
unpredictable patterns during flight and are so slow you can catch one by hand.
Their larvae live in semiaquatic and aquatic areas but some are found in moist soil and rotting leaves where they feed on
decomposing organic matter. A few species will feed on plant roots and some introduced species are
considered
lawn pests when their larvae are present in large numbers.
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| Stilt bug? - Ben Caruthers |
There are few insects that look like a crane fly, but one group is the stilt bugs, aka "thread bugs." Yes, believe it or not these are Hemiptera or true bugs! I think that is what Ben Caruthers posted. You can read about them
here.
