Cranefly Love
Hi bugman love your job.
We have another example of Cranefly’s in the heat of the moment.
Rob from North Vancouver, British Columbia

Hi Rob,
Thanks for the image. It is nice to see that losing several legs, a common Cranefly disability, hasn’t hindered the process of procreation.

Wingless Bug that Flies with it’s legs.
Hi Bugman,
How are you? I am a new resident living in Georgia State, where there used to be farms out in the country. Over the weekend i found 2 strage bugs. One was at a relative’s home north of Lake Lanier, with info from your site i was able to find its name… the extremely bright red Velvet Ant. The other i found at my home, its a large 1.5 inch fuzzy grey mosquito body, with spider looking legs that had a section of it covered in a velvet. It was on a wall, when it spread its leg and jumped off, it could glide vertical, side ways as it pleased. I caught it, put it in a cup to take a pic then released it, and it just spred its legs at the top of the cup and flew motionless all the way over to my neighbours yard. Here is a pic enclosed. Thanks for the wonderful site with pics and info about all the beautiful and strange bugs )
Chad
Gwinnett, GA.

Hi Chad,
Your mystery insect is a Phantom Crane Fly, Bittacomorpha clavipes. Your are correct in that it flies with its legs. The swollen tarsi catch air currents. Your specimen has lost two legs. The coloration helps the insect to vanish in the shade, hence the name Phantom. It is usually found near moist woods and stream margins.

Coolest flying insect in Minnesota-please help identify
Dear Bugman,
I live in Chaska Minnesota which is 20 minutes southwest of Minneapolis. I found this cool looking bug by my doorstep this evening and wondered if you could help me identify it. The bug body is about 1.5 centimeters long and is an iridescent grey/silver color. the body is three segments, head, a spherical middle and a long end section. He has a pair of clear winds that are about 0.75 centimeters long. The coolest part about the bug is that he has really long legs. The legs are mostly black but at the joints are white stripes. As well the second section from the white foot is thicker than the rest of the leg. It can fly. I’ve added a couple pictures I took with my dad. Hope you can tell me what it is Thanks in advance
Corey Giroux

Hi Corey,
The Phantom Crane Fly, Bittacomorpha clavipes, is an awesome creature. It is found near moist woods and stream margins. They soar slowly through the air catching air currents on the swollen leg joints. They get their common name because when they fly into the shade, they seem to disappear except for the white leg bands.

cool site!
Very interesting site. I have a couple of bugs I can’t identify. Both from Southern California. I appreciate any help you can give me.
Ron Drake

Hi Ron,
Your other photo is of the gangly Cranefly. These harmless creatures are the largest flies and are often attracted to lights at night.

Bugging You Again
Hi Daniel. I’ve been seeing the oddest little creatures hatching on my little treks to the Sacramento river to photograph bugs. At first I believed it was a midge. Then, looking closer at its intricate wing veining, I mistook it for a newly hatched stonefly. I ought to know better! Some claim it must be a water strider, but what I’ve read indicates those should have four long legs with an additional two short front legs, where this creature instead has six very long legs. It seems barely able to hold up its head and mostly just drags it alongside! It can fly, though scarcely seems to realize it – perhaps because of its newly hatched state. I did not witness any actually hatching or emerging but suspect they just did because of the rather helpless way they washed about in the current until they could fasten onto a rock to drag themselves up onto. Can you shed any light onto this charming creature’s identity for me? You asked about caddis, damselflies, and dragonfly nymph images when last you wrote and I’m happy to say I’ve gotten off my duff and organized my macroinvertebrates into tidy categories easy to look through. If you need any of them, I would be honored to contribute to the cause. The reorganized galleries are at: http://www.pbase.com/michellemahood/real_bugs
Thanks as always for your help and your advice! Best regards,
Michelle Mahood
Shingletown, California

Hi Again Michelle,
We always love being bugged by you since you have such great stories and photos. We wanted to turn to a more qualified expert with your new critter, so we wrote to Eric Eaton. Here is his response:
“Well, the critter looks like it may be some kind of crane fly, but there are a number of aquatic fly families that could fit the bill. She needs to consult an aquatic entomologist, I think. I’d be hesitant to go out on a limb here. Sorry.”
P. S. Eric speaks very highly of you.

Dear Daniel,
Thanks for replying! If you don’t know and Eric Eaton doesn’t know, I can’t imagine anyone knows! However, maybe some especially learned aquatic entomologist fan of yours who reads your site will pipe up with a species name for my critter. He’s certainly not rare, as there’s a hatch of them regularly where I visit the river to turn over rocks. Thanks so much for trying and for posting my pictures. I love looking at your site and seeing what others have discovered! I’m loving spring and hope you are too!
Best regards,
Michelle
PS If you need ANY insects off my site for yours, please have at ‘em!

not a dragonfly…. not a daddy long leg
Hello, My name is Anthony. I am from Long Island, New York. Today, November 7th, I took a picture of the strangest bug on my front porch. I estimate the it to be 4 inches across. It has two wings and six legs. Could you tell me what bug that is? Take your time, I know you are very busy.
I JUST sent you an email. Someone suggested a Crane Fly. I think
that may be it. Thank you anyway, and is my friend right??

Hi Anthony,
Your friend is right, it is a Giant Crane Fly.