wasp?
Location: Kissimmee Florida
February 3, 2012 3:11 pm
curious about this insect. It almost looks like a stump stabber wasp that I saw on you site, but this insect packs quite a sting. I decided not to include the picture of my swollen hand. Any info you could provide would be great. Location: Kissimmee, florida, total length of body is approx.: 1 inch. Two spotted in my apartment January 2012
Signature: Jason

Crane Fly

Dear Jason,
Your swollen hand must be a result of some other trauma.  This Crane Fly is a perfectly harmless creature that does not sting nor bite.  Perhaps No-See-Ums which are small biting gnats are getting into your apartment.  See BugGuide for a photo of No-See-Ums.

No, the sting was definitely from this insect. I was able to pick it up with tweezers and it was attempting to sting the tweezers. It felt like a bee sting.

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Is this Bittacidae or Diptera? Or something else?
Location: unknown (will provide if later discovered)  Ed. Note:  Montezuma, Costa Rica
December 17, 2011 11:56 pm

http://i.imgur.com/qvPj4.jpg

My first guess is Bittacidae, but I’m used to seeing them with much thicker legs and longer antennae. The beak also looks unusual for a hangingfly and I can’t tell if it’s wingless. If it’s winged, most winged species rest their wings in a roof-like fashion (with the exception of Hylobittacus apicalis).
Signature: Joseph_P_Brenner

Hi Joseph,
If you don’t know the location, does that mean you did not take the photo?  Are you able to provide permission for us to post the photo?  We would also need assistance and we do not want to have the photographer contact us in the future to remove the image.
Please advise.

Crane Fly

The photo was taken in Montezuma, Costa Rica.  The photographer is looking for an ID and is familiar with and is okay with the photo being posted on whatsthatbug.com.  He has already posted the photo on another public forum:
http://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/ngc70/difficulty_threadhorn/
Signature: Joseph_P_Brenner

Thanks for getting back to us so quickly Joseph.  We agree with you and with several of the folks on the other public forum that this appears to be a Hanging Fly in the family Bittacidae which is represented by individuals on BugGuide that have more substantial legs.  We would not rule out a Crane Fly.  We will try to contact Dr. Chen Young at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Crane Flies of Pennsylvania website to see if he can provide anything conclusive.

Crane Fly

Chen Young Responds
Hi Daniel,
It is always nice to hear from you because your image always put a challenge to me and I like it.
This one is in the genus Orimarga, a small slender crane fly.
Happy holidays to you and your viewers.
Chen

THank you!

large, mating bugs – Georgia
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
October 8, 2011 9:11 am
We saw these 2 insects (appear to be mating) on a sunny, warm day in early October 2011 in Atlanta, GA. They are quite large – perhaps wingspans of 6 inches and leg spans of 12 inches with almost iridescent wings. We’ve lived here almost 10 years and had never seen these, although we may be seeing more next year if mating was successful. Anyone know what they are? Thanks!
Signature: Dan and Ade

Giant Crane Flies Mating

Dear Dan and Ade,
Most people who encounter Crane Flies mistake them for very large mosquitoes, but unlike Mosquitoes, Crane Flies do not feed on blood.  A common name we have encountered for Crane Flies is Mosquito Hawks, however, Crane Flies do not prey on Mosquitoes.  It is generally believed that adult Crane Flies do not feed, or that they subsist on a liquid diet.  Your individuals are Giant Crane Flies, Tipula abdominalis, and according to BugGuide:  “large size coupled with black velvety patches on thorax is diagnostic feature.”  The God of Insects website has a nice synopsis of the life cycle of the Giant Crane Fly that is copyright 2003 by Barbara Strnadova that states:  “This striking crane fly is found wherever there are freshwater streams in central and eastern North America. The large, plump larvae, often called “leather jackets”, are aquatic. They can be found under rocks, in debris and in mud along the bottoms of streams in many different habitats. The larvae are detritivores and are abundant wherever there is sufficient rotten leaf litter. Two generations of adults emerge each year; one May-July and another beginning in August or September. While Tipula abdominalis is one of the largest crane flies, many crane flies in the genus Tipula are also quite big. These large flies are often mistaken for giant mosquitoes, while in some parts of their range these giant flies are called “Mosquito Hawks”, a name that really refers to the famous Green Darner Dragonfly. Crane flies are called “Mosquito Hawks” or “Mosquito Eaters” under the mistaken assumption that they are some kind of predatory fly. The reality of the situation is quite different, for they take sustenance only from flower nectar – if they eat at all. They cannot bite so although they are huge, you have no need to fear them. Tipula abdominalis is often attracted to lights at night.”  Since the larvae are aquatic, you would need a freshwater stream nearby for this mating to result in procreation, however, since Crane Flies are feeble fliers, we can presume that there is a nearby stream.  Here is a photo of an aquatic larva of the Giant Crane Fly from BugGuide.

what is this cool bug from MN
Location: MN
July 18, 2011 7:04 am
I have seem 2 of these bugs now in MN
that fly through the air with their legs spread out and are quite cool looking. I have searched and searched on the internet and can’t seemto figure our what it is. can you help me?
Becky
Signature: Bugs

Phantom Crane Fly

Hi Becky,
This very distinctive creature is a Phantom Crane Fly.

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