Cylindrotomidae

Distinguished from other crane fly families (Tipulidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae) by the combination of large size (11–16 mm), yellowish to pale brownish coloration, and exceptionally elongated body proportions including long antennae with 16 segments, elongated wings, legs, and abdomen. Larvae of Cylindrotominae are distinguished by numerous elongated cuticular lobes on the integument that create moss-like crypsis. Subfamily Stibadocerinae can be distinguished from Cylindrotominae by wing venation characters, particularly the reduced radial sector.

Adults are found in damp, wooded habitats. Larvae occur in terrestrial, semiaquatic, and aquatic environments among mosses and herbaceous plants. Terrestrial moss-feeding species tend to use specific groups of mosses belonging to Bryales or Hypnales. The genus Cylindrotoma is exceptional in that its larvae live on various flowering plants rather than mosses.

Worldwide distribution with marked biogeographic disparity between subfamilies. Cylindrotominae are primarily Holarctic, occurring in North America, Europe, and Asia including Japan, Russia (Arkhangelsk Oblast, Altai Republic, Amur Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Magadan Oblast, Samara Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, Kuril Islands), Belarus, Latvia, Finland, Germany, and Poland. Stibadocerinae exhibit a 'Gondwanan' distribution with genera restricted to Australia, Chile, and East Asia, representing vicariant South American-East Asian taxa. Fossil records are concentrated in Baltic amber, the Green River Formation and Florissant Formation (USA), Fur Formation and Ølst Formation (Denmark), Kishenehn Formation (USA), Middle Salt Formation (France), Biamo Formation (Russia), and Bembridge Marls (UK).

Larvae are phytophagous. Most feed on mosses (terrestrial, semiaquatic, and aquatic), with terrestrial species showing specificity for Bryales or Hypnales. The genus Cylindrotoma is exceptional, with larvae feeding on various flowering plants. Adult feeding habits are not explicitly documented.

Larvae of Cylindrotominae exhibit remarkable crypsis resembling bryophytes (mosses), achieved through elongated cuticular outgrowths, green to brown body coloration, and dorsal patterns. Recent histological examination has revealed extensive internal musculature within the lateral cuticular lobes, indicating a locomotory function that challenges traditional interpretations of these structures as primarily respiratory or attachment devices. The family represents a significant ghost lineage with no Mesozoic fossil record despite sister group diversification during the Cretaceous.

• TipulidaeSister family of crane flies; distinguished by generally shorter body proportions, different wing venation, and much earlier diversification during the Cretaceous with extensive fossil record
• LimoniidaeAnother crane fly family; typically smaller, more diverse, and with different larval habitat preferences including more aquatic and semiaquatic environments
• PediciidaeRelated crane fly family; distinguished by different wing venation patterns and generally more compact body form

• Diptera
• Nematocera
• Tipuloidea
• craneflies
• ghost lineage
• phytophagous larvae
• moss mimicry
• cryptic larvae
• Holarctic
• Gondwanan
• Paleogene diversification

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Enigmatic Ghost Lineage Cylindrotomidae (Diptera: Nematocera)
• Phylogeny and biogeography of the enigmatic ghost lineage Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Nematocera)
• Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species
• New records of West Palaearctic Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Cylindrotomidae (Diptera) from the collections of the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam
• The Neotropical genus Stibadocerina Alexander and its phylogenetic relationship to other Stibadocerinae genera: further evidence of an ancestral trans‐Pacific biota (Diptera: Cylindrotomidae)
• Nematocera flies recorded in Serra do Courel, northwest Spain, May 2012 (Diptera: Anisopodidae, Blepharoceridae, Cylindrotomidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae, Tipulidae and Trichoceridae) including descriptions of two new species of Limoniidae
• Moss mimesispar excellence: integrating previous and new data on the life history and larval ecomorphology of long-bodied craneflies (Diptera: Cylindrotomidae: Cylindrotominae)
• Figure 33 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 10 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 39 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 26 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 40 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 31 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 18 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624
• Figure 37 from: Kolcsár L-P, Paramonov N, Imada Y, Kato D, Gamboa M, Shinoka D, Kato M, Watanabe K (2022) Notes on the taxonomic status and distribution of some Cylindrotomidae (Diptera, Tipuloidea), with emphasis on Japanese species. ZooKeys 1083: 13-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.75624