Subject: What is this bug!!!???
Location: Portland, Oregon
May 16, 2013 12:26 pm
Hi Bugman..
My friend took a pic of this in Portland, Oregon. People are saying it’s a spider, but it has 6 legs! Looks like it has wings and a snout~
Signature: Thanks, Clancy

Giant Western Crane Fly

Hi Clancy,
This is a Crane Fly.  Those black “knees” look distinctive, so we attempted a web search to determine a species identity and we found a similar photo on the Fontenelle Nature Association Nature Search website that is identified as Tipula dorsimacula.  Though the images on BugGuide also have black knees, we are not certain of the species being correct for your Crane Fly, so we are contacting Chen Young, a Crane Fly expert for his opinion.

Dr. Chen Young responds
Daniel,
This one is Holorusia haspera, the largest crane fly species in the western states.
Chen

0   I like This

Related posts:

Crane Fly Crane Fly Giant Western Crane Fly Mating Giant Crane Flies

Subject: Termite or predator?
Location: Bellevue, Washington
April 10, 2013 8:56 pm
Removing a flowering cherry tree that was rotting out from the inside. Seems to be a thriving termite colony inside. But in addition to the workers, larve, and soldiers, I saw some winged insects associated with colony, but they don’t seem to match any photos of winged termites. I was wondering if you could identify the mystery bug. Are they termites, or are they munching on termites?
Thanks
Signature: Tom

Cranefly

Dear Tom,
This is a Cranefly and we don’t believe it has any connection to the termites.  We found a matching photo on BugGuide that was found in a rotten stump.  Eric Eaton provided a comment stating:  “There is at least one common wood-boring species in the Pacific Northwest. I ran across a log full of the larvae and pupae once, before I knew what they were! Pretty bizarre.”

Thanks for the answer. I am familiar with the lawn variety crane fly, but these were new.
Tom

0   I like This

Related posts:

Dampwood Termite Termite Alate Pacific Dampwood Termite: Soldier Termite Soldier

Subject: Bug on snowy mountain in NH
Location: New Hampshire USA
March 3, 2013 9:13 pm
Hello – I spotted this insect last weekend while back country skiing near Jackson NH in the white mountains, elevation 2200 feet. It was walking around on the snow. I was surprised to see an insect active this time of year but perhaps it is common.
Signature: Tom

Wingless Winter Crane Fly

Hi Tom,
This is an exciting posting for us.  There are several unrelated insects commonly found on the surface of the snow that are lumped together under the common name Snowflies.  This Wingless Winter Crane Fly, most likely in the genus Chionea, is a true fly, albeit without wings.  More photos and information can be found at The Backyard Arthropod Project and The Crane Flies of Pennsylvania.  Adaptation to life on the surface of the snow is not very common with insects and arthropods, so we are always excited to post new documentation.  

Thanks Daniel. Let me know if you need any more information about this bug.

0   I like This

Related posts:

Wingless Winter Crane Fly or Snow Fly Snowfly: A Winter Stonefly Snowfly, AKA Small Winter Stonefly Snowflies: Small Winter Stoneflies found in the snow!!!

Subject: Is this a cranefly?
Location: Amber from Chiapas, Mexico
January 24, 2013 12:45 am
Hi there. At first, I thought that this was a cranefly, but the long antenna have left me doubting. I realize that the images are not that great, but do you have any ideas. The body is about 5-6 mm long. Thank you for you help and for the great site.
Signature: Daniel

Crane Fly in Amber

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for posing such an intriguing question.  This does appear very much like a Crane Fly, and it appears to have a single pair of wings, but you are correct about the antennae being longer than modern Crane Flies.  According to the Crane Flies of Pennsylvania website:  “The antennae are composed of a cylindrical scape, a subspherical pedicel and 3 (Chionea) to 37 (Gynoplistia) flagellum segments (flagellomeres), commonly 11 in Tipulinae and 12-14 in Limoniinae in the Nearctic Region.”  Perhaps the characteristics found in your fossil insect have been lost through the evolutionary process.  We do not feel skilled enough to come to a conclusion, so we have written to Crane Fly expert Chen Young as well as Eric Eaton to get their opinions.

Crane Fly in Amber is Polymera species

Chen Young confirms Crane Fly, genus Polymera
Dear Daniel,
How about that! A fossil crane fly in the genus Polymera!!!  I am attaching an image of a modern day Polymera to show you the similarity of these two specimens, notices the long antennae in the extant species.
What is the fate of this piece of fossil?  I would like to send the image of this fossil with locality (if you have) to a colleague of mine, Dr. Sigitas Podenas from Lithuania, who works on fossil crane flies.
Thanks,
Chen

Modern Crane Fly genus Polymera

Thanks so much for the speedy response Chen.  We will write back to Daniel who submitted this image and we will copy you with your requests.  Hopefully he will be gracious enough to respond.

Wow! You guys are fast. Thank you so much for the identification. It’s nice of you to clear up this mystery for me.
The piece was found near Simojovel, Chiapas, Mexico, and I currently have it in my possession (in Mexico). I would be happy to try to take some better images of it for Dr. Podenas if he finds it of interest. I say “try” because my equipment is limited to a hand-held camera and a jeweler’s loupe.
Again, thank you for your help and kind reponse.
Best wishes,
Daniel O’Quinn

0   I like This

Related posts:

Crane Flies Mating Crane Fly with Mites Crane Fly Crane Fly

Subject: What is this?
Location: South Sydney area
November 9, 2012 5:12 pm
Hi,
I live in Sydney, and spotted this when it followed me into the house today (10 November). Kind of reminds me of a large mosquito. The body measures 5mm wide by 30mm long (was very patient with me while I photographed and measured it). I can’t find it in any other online source, but surely something this large is not a mystery. Would love to know what it is.
Signature: Thanks for your help

Crane Fly from Australia

This is a Crane Fly in the family Tipulidae.  We found a photo on FlickR that is identified as Ischnotoma eburnea.  We then verified that identification on the Encyclopedia of Life.  Crane Flies are harmless.

0   I like This

Related posts:

Crane Flies Mating Unknown Crane Fly from Japan is Ctenophora ishiharai Crane Fly Crane Fly oviopsits in ground

Subject: Pretty bug
Location: Sandy Hook, CT
October 13, 2012 6:14 am
This insect was about 2” long. It was on the outside of a window on a sunny day in late September. I was struck by the artistic patterns on the legs and wings – looked decorated like an American Indian pot.
Signature: Curious

Giant Eastern Crane Fly

Dear Curious,
This impressive specimen is a harmless Giant Eastern Crane Fly, Pedicia albivitta.  According to BugGuide:  “larvae are aquatic; adults may be found on nearby vegetation and may be attracted to artificial light.”

0   I like This

Related posts:

Giant Eastern Crane Fly Giant Eastern Crane Fly Giant Eastern Crane Fly Giant Eastern Crane Fly