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Crane fly - Tipulidae on a wet leaf
Crane fly - Tipulidae on a wet leaf
Crane flies
(Tipulidae)

The crane flies (Tipulidae) are also known as mosquito hawks, mosquito eaters, skeeter eaters, gallinippers, gollywhoppers and jimmy spinners. They are a family in the order two-winged flies (Diptera) and in the suborder Nematocera. There are approximately 4000 species of crane flies worldwide, 140 of which occur in Germany.
Crane fly - Tipulidae
Crane fly - Tipulidae
Crane flies (Tipulidae) can reach body lengths of up to 40 mm and wing spans of 50 mm. Their bodies are longish with different patterns and colours (grey, brown, yellow, black or red). Their wings are slim and often have black spots. The legs are stilt-like and very long. The antennae are different lengths in different species. Crane flies can only ingest liquids with their mouthparts. They are not able to sting.
Crane fly Nephrotoma quadrifaria on nettle
Crane fly Nephrotoma quadrifaria on nettle
Crane flies are active in different seasons and often form small swarms in the evenings. They live off water or nectar.
Crane fly - side face - Nephrotoma
Crane fly - side face - Nephrotoma
Egg-laying (up to several hundred eggs in a lifetime) is done with an ovipositor in moist soil orin the mud at the bottom of a body of water. The larvae reach body lengths of about 50 mm and live on plant roots, which they eat. They pupate in the soil or in rotten wood. Crane fly larvae can cause significant damage to crops.
Taxonomy

ClassInsecta
Linnaeus, 1758
Insects, True insects
SubclassPterygota
Lang, 1888
Winged insects
InfraclassNeoptera
van der Wulp, 1890
Modern Wing-folding insects
SuperorderHolometabola
Heider, 1889
Holometabolous Insects
OrderDiptera
Linnaeus, 1758
Flies, Gnats, Hoverflies, Mosquitoes, True flies
SuborderNematocera
Latreille, 1825
Long-horned flies, Mosquitoes, Thread-horns
InfraorderTipulomorpha
Gistel, 1848
Crane Flies
SuperfamilyTipuloidea
LeConte, 1861
FamilyTipulidae
Latreille, 1802
Crane Flies, Crane fly, Crane-Flies, Craneflies, Cranefly
Subnodes
Synonyms

Cylindrotomidae (Mulsant, 1842)
Limoniidae (Speiser, 1909)
German
Bachmücken,
Erdschnacken,
Kranichfliegen,
Langbeinmücken,
Mückenbulle,
Riesenschnaken,
Schnaken,
Schneider,
Stelzmücken
English
Crane Flies,
Crane fly,
Crane-Flies,
Craneflies,
Cranefly,
Daddy-long-legs,
Large Crane Flies
Dutch
Langpootmuggen
Danish
Stankelben
Swedish
Storharkrankar
Finnish
Vaaksiaiset
Norwegian
Stankelbein
French
tipules


Distribution and Species lists for Tipulidae Latreille, 1802
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Afghanistan
1 Families  14 Genera  58 Species		Albania
1 Families  30 Genera  116 Species		Algeria
1 Families  19 Genera  67 Species		Andorra
1 Families  20 Genera  84 Species		Angola
1 Families  21 Genera  43 Species		Antigua and Barbuda
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Argentina
1 Families  46 Genera  329 Species		Armenia
1 Families  26 Genera  133 Species		Australia
1 Families  85 Genera  1273 Species		Austria
1 Families  56 Genera  457 Species		Azerbaijan
1 Families  39 Genera  174 Species		Bahamas
1 Families  9 Genera  16 Species		Bangladesh
1 Families  12 Genera  16 Species		Barbados
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Belarus
1 Families  30 Genera  128 Species		Belgium
1 Families  50 Genera  284 Species		Belize
1 Families  8 Genera  13 Species		Benin
1 Families  9 Genera  9 Species		Bhutan
1 Families  4 Genera  4 Species		Bolivia
1 Families  38 Genera  287 Species		Bosnia and Herzegovina
1 Families  34 Genera  146 Species		Botswana
1 Families  6 Genera  6 Species		Brazil
1 Families  62 Genera  720 Species		Brunei
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Bulgaria
1 Families  51 Genera  305 Species		Burkina Faso
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Burundi
1 Families  7 Genera  10 Species		Cambodia
1 Families  2 Genera  4 Species		Cameroon
1 Families  34 Genera  124 Species		Canada
1 Families  75 Genera  786 Species		Cape Verde
1 Families  28 Genera  52 Species		Central African Republic
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Chile
1 Families  40 Genera  509 Species		China
1 Families  82 Genera  1442 Species		Colombia
1 Families  41 Genera  193 Species		Comoros
1 Families  20 Genera  38 Species		Costa Rica
1 Families  44 Genera  157 Species		Croatia
1 Families  39 Genera  202 Species		Cuba
1 Families  32 Genera  99 Species		Cyprus
1 Families  15 Genera  50 Species		Czech Republic
1 Families  54 Genera  445 Species		Democratic Republic of the Congo
1 Families  31 Genera  120 Species		Denmark
1 Families  55 Genera  337 Species		Dominica
1 Families  25 Genera  97 Species		Dominican Republic
1 Families  27 Genera  64 Species		Ecuador
1 Families  45 Genera  633 Species		Egypt
1 Families  8 Genera  9 Species		El Salvador
1 Families  8 Genera  14 Species		Equatorial Guinea
1 Families  4 Genera  6 Species		Eritrea
1 Families  3 Genera  3 Species		Estonia
1 Families  51 Genera  199 Species		Ethiopia
1 Families  18 Genera  34 Species		Fiji
1 Families  17 Genera  78 Species		Finland
1 Families  54 Genera  357 Species		France
1 Families  74 Genera  640 Species		Gabon
1 Families  6 Genera  9 Species		Gambia
1 Families  4 Genera  4 Species		Georgia
1 Families  39 Genera  212 Species		Germany
1 Families  66 Genera  594 Species		Ghana
1 Families  16 Genera  39 Species		Greece
1 Families  37 Genera  291 Species		Grenada
1 Families  8 Genera  8 Species		Guatemala
1 Families  29 Genera  82 Species		Guinea
1 Families  9 Genera  10 Species		Guinea-Bissau
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Guyana
1 Families  29 Genera  97 Species		Haiti
1 Families  11 Genera  14 Species		Honduras
1 Families  20 Genera  45 Species		Hungary
1 Families  47 Genera  242 Species		Iceland
1 Families  30 Genera  77 Species		India
1 Families  75 Genera  1526 Species		Indonesia
1 Families  57 Genera  982 Species		Iran
1 Families  27 Genera  101 Species		Iraq
1 Families  3 Genera  3 Species		Ireland
1 Families  45 Genera  193 Species		Israel
1 Families  21 Genera  75 Species		Italy
1 Families  54 Genera  506 Species		Ivory Coast
1 Families  10 Genera  14 Species		Jamaica
1 Families  27 Genera  82 Species		Japan
1 Families  80 Genera  868 Species		Jordan
1 Families  3 Genera  5 Species		Kazakhstan
1 Families  45 Genera  235 Species		Kenya
1 Families  31 Genera  114 Species		Kiribati
1 Families  4 Genera  4 Species		Kosovo
1 Family  1 Genus  2 Species		Kuwait
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Kyrgyzstan
1 Families  24 Genera  95 Species		Laos
1 Families  9 Genera  18 Species		Latvia
1 Families  42 Genera  201 Species		Lebanon
1 Families  15 Genera  39 Species		Lesotho
1 Families  11 Genera  24 Species		Liberia
1 Families  20 Genera  27 Species		Libya
1 Families  4 Genera  5 Species		Liechtenstein
1 Families  4 Genera  33 Species		Lithuania
1 Families  57 Genera  330 Species		Luxembourg
1 Families  36 Genera  153 Species		Madagascar
1 Families  46 Genera  293 Species		Malawi
1 Families  19 Genera  35 Species		Malaysia
1 Families  52 Genera  412 Species		Mali
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Malta
1 Families  9 Genera  14 Species		Marshall Islands
1 Families  6 Genera  8 Species		Mauritius
1 Families  15 Genera  38 Species		Mexico
1 Families  50 Genera  419 Species		Micronesia
1 Families  18 Genera  91 Species		Mongolia
1 Families  36 Genera  256 Species		Montenegro
1 Families  28 Genera  142 Species		Morocco
1 Families  22 Genera  102 Species		Mozambique
1 Families  35 Genera  95 Species		Myanmar
1 Families  34 Genera  105 Species		Namibia
1 Families  11 Genera  15 Species		Nepal
1 Families  37 Genera  117 Species		Netherlands
1 Families  56 Genera  329 Species		New Zealand
1 Families  38 Genera  509 Species		Nicaragua
1 Families  12 Genera  18 Species		Niger
1 Families  33 Genera  170 Species		Nigeria
1 Families  37 Genera  198 Species		Niue
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		North Korea
1 Families  42 Genera  175 Species		Norway
1 Families  78 Genera  966 Species		Oman
1 Families  5 Genera  5 Species		Pakistan
1 Families  22 Genera  70 Species		Palau
1 Families  13 Genera  45 Species		Palestine
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Panama
1 Families  40 Genera  241 Species		Papua New Guinea
1 Families  40 Genera  477 Species		Paraguay
1 Families  28 Genera  82 Species		Peru
1 Families  50 Genera  745 Species		Philippines
1 Families  48 Genera  490 Species		Poland
1 Families  62 Genera  412 Species		Portugal
1 Families  37 Genera  158 Species		Republic of the Congo
1 Families  6 Genera  7 Species		Republic South Africa
1 Families  59 Genera  374 Species		Romania
1 Families  56 Genera  408 Species		Russia
1 Families  95 Genera  1403 Species		Rwanda
1 Families  13 Genera  24 Species		Saint Kitts and Nevis
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Saint Lucia
1 Families  5 Genera  3 Species		Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1 Families  15 Genera  29 Species		Samoa
1 Families  32 Genera  111 Species		São Tomé and Príncipe
1 Families  13 Genera  24 Species		Saudi Arabia
1 Families  10 Genera  22 Species		Senegal
1 Families  3 Genera  3 Species		Serbia
1 Families  39 Genera  194 Species		Seychelles
1 Families  19 Genera  32 Species		Sierra Leone
1 Families  14 Genera  25 Species		Singapore
1 Families  5 Genera  8 Species		Slovakia
1 Families  56 Genera  450 Species		Slovenia
1 Families  40 Genera  218 Species		Solomon Islands
1 Families  26 Genera  94 Species		Somalia
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		South Korea
1 Families  41 Genera  173 Species		Spain
1 Families  61 Genera  533 Species		Sri Lanka
1 Families  33 Genera  132 Species		Sudan
1 Families  4 Genera  8 Species		Suriname
1 Families  17 Genera  27 Species		Sweden
1 Families  68 Genera  594 Species		Switzerland
1 Families  55 Genera  453 Species		Syria
1 Families  3 Genera  13 Species		Taiwan
1 Families  71 Genera  547 Species		Tajikistan
1 Families  24 Genera  86 Species		Tanzania
1 Families  36 Genera  110 Species		Thailand
1 Families  34 Genera  116 Species		Togo
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Tonga
1 Families  4 Genera  8 Species		Trinidad and Tobago
1 Families  15 Genera  21 Species		Tunisia
1 Families  10 Genera  29 Species		Turkey
1 Families  50 Genera  321 Species		Turkmenistan
1 Families  14 Genera  42 Species		Uganda
1 Families  37 Genera  206 Species		Ukraine
1 Families  52 Genera  363 Species		United Arab Emirates
1 Families  7 Genera  9 Species		United Kingdom
1 Families  75 Genera  616 Species		Uruguay
1 Families  3 Genera  4 Species		USA
1 Families  101 Genera  2204 Species		Uzbekistan
1 Families  12 Genera  39 Species		Vanuatu
1 Families  11 Genera  31 Species		Venezuela
1 Families  40 Genera  257 Species		Vietnam
1 Families  18 Genera  38 Species		Yemen
1 Families  6 Genera  8 Species		Zambia
1 Families  10 Genera  12 Species		Zimbabwe
1 Families  33 Genera  133 Species


Distribution on islands
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Aldabra Group
1 Families  4 Genera  5 Species		Antipodes Islands
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Azores
1 Families  7 Genera  14 Species		East Aleutians
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Fox Islands
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Hebrides
1 Families  18 Genera  68 Species		Inner Hebrides
1 Families  16 Genera  50 Species		Islands of Chile
1 Families  28 Genera  86 Species		Kai Islands
1 Family  1 Genus  2 Species		Krakatoa
1 Families  4 Genera  8 Species		Langkawi
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Macaronesia
1 Families  33 Genera  102 Species		Northern Isles
1 Families  23 Genera  53 Species		Northern Line Islands
1 Families  2 Genera  2 Species		Northern Orkney Islands
1 Families  12 Genera  19 Species		Orkney Islands
1 Families  20 Genera  43 Species		Outer Hebrides
1 Families  14 Genera  37 Species		Shetland Islands
1 Families  12 Genera  21 Species		South Shetland Islands
1 Family  1 Genus  1 Species		Southern Line Islands
1 Families  3 Genera  8 Species		Southern Orkney Islands
1 Families  11 Genera  14 Species		Uist
1 Families  13 Genera  31 Species