Tanyptera

Distinguished from other crane flies by: male flagellar segments with three outgrowths per segment (diagnostic); female 13-segmented antennae; glabrous mesothoracic sides; unusually long female ovipositor. Resembles some Ichneumonidae (parasitoid wasps) in general appearance but distinguished by dipteran features (single pair of wings, halteres).

Lustrous, metallic body with black and yellow or red coloration. Wings vary from smoky-black, brown, brownish-yellow, to transparent. Females possess an unusually long ovipositor with valves slightly shorter than the cerci. Sides of mesothorax glabrous (hairless).

Deciduous and mixed forests. Larval microhabitat: dead but still hard wood (not decayed soft wood).

Europe and Asia. Documented from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States (Vermont, Michigan).

Larvae develop in dead but still hard wood.

Larvae contribute to wood decomposition in forest ecosystems. Minor pest status in Russia where occasionally harmful to forest products.

Minor pest in Russia, sometimes damaging to forest products. Otherwise limited direct interaction with humans.

• IchneumonidaeGeneral resemblance in coloration and body form; distinguished by Tanyptera having only one pair of wings (Diptera) versus two pairs in wasps (Hymenoptera), plus presence of halteres.
• Other TipulidaeTanyptera distinguished by male antennal outgrowths, female 13-segmented antennae, glabrous mesothorax, and long ovipositor.

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• The Antlered Crane Fly,Tanyptera dorsalis(Walker) (Diptera: Tipulidae), in Michigan and a Review of Its Distribution and Biology