| Common Name |
Cranefly Larvae |
| Phylum |
Arthropoda |
| Class |
Insecta |
| Order |
Diptera |
| Family |
Tipulidae |
| Description |
10-25mm, range 3-100mm. The head is not visible. At the end of the abdomen, two spiracles are surrounded by pairs of short, fleshy lobes that often have a fringe of hair. For more photos, refer to our online gallery: tinyurl.com/wtwpuyy |
| Habitat |
Lentic-littoral, lotic-erosional, and lotic-depositional. Different species inhabit aquatic, semi-aquatic or terrestrial areas with stones, leaf packs, wood debris, sand, gravel, and algae mats. Some live in algae scum on rocks, rich mud, and damp decaying vegetation on the edges of water habitats. |
| Feeding Information |
Primarily shredder-detrivores and collector-gatherers, but some engulfer-predators. Some species use specialized mandibles to feed on algae, bacteria, and diatoms found on solid surfaces. Others use mandibles to kill and consume invertebrates. |
| Water Quality Tolerance |
Range from facultative to sensitive and tolerant. The large Tipulidae family allows for a wide range of tolerance. |
| References |
Voshell & Wright. 2002. |
