''Nephrotoma appendiculata'', the spotted crane fly, is a species of

crane fly Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. In the most ...

Subspecies

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

include: *''Nephrotoma appendiculata appendiculata'' (Pierre, 1919) (Northwestern Europe and the Near East) *''Nephrotoma appendiculata pertenua'' Oosterbroek, 1978 (Southwestern Europe and North Africa)

Distribution

This species is present in most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and in the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

. Fauna europaea

Habitat

These crane flies inhabit woodland edges, gardens, fields, rough grassland. and farmland.

Description

''Nephrotoma appendiculata'' has a wingspan of about , and a body length of .Nature Spot
/ref>
/ref> The body is yellow with a few short, black stripes on the thorax , a black horseshoe mark on the side and a broad dark stripe on each section of the abdomen. The wings have a thin, yellow line near the leading edge. The wing stigma is usually pale, but sometimes it is dark. This species is rather similar to '' Nephrotoma flavescens''.

Biology

Adults can be seen from April to August. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e, known as "leatherjackets", feed on the roots of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

es, while the adults feed on

umbellifers Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

such as

cow parsley ''Anthriscus sylvestris'', known as cow parsley, wild chervil, wild beaked parsley, Queen Anne's lace or keck, is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), genus ''Anthriscus''. It is also somet ...

Gallery

Spotted crane flies (Nephrotoma appendiculata) mating.jpg, Mating File:Nephrotoma.appendiculata.male.jpg, Male Nephrotoma.appendiculata.female.jpg, Female Nephrotoma.appendiculata.wing.detail.jpg, Wing detail

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1616483 Tipulidae Diptera of Europe Insects described in 1919