Holorusia hespera

Arnaud & Byers, 1990

Giant Western Crane Fly

Holorusia hespera is the largest crane fly in North America, with wings reaching 40 mm in length. It is distinguished by its amber-colored wings that lack the interference patterns common in other crane flies, a feature attributed to wing thickness. The wing surfaces display ridging and folds with uniform coloration. This western Nearctic species belongs to a that includes some of the largest crane flies globally.

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Pronunciation

How to pronounce Holorusia hespera: /həˈlɔːruːsiə ˈhɛspərə/

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Identification

Distinguished from other crane flies by its exceptional size (40 mm wing length versus typically much smaller relatives). The absence of wing interference patterns on the amber wing surface is diagnostic—most crane flies show iridescent or patterned wing surfaces. The uniformly colored, ridged wing texture further separates it from and other Tipulidae.

Images

Distribution

Western North America: Alaska, British Columbia, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Utah. Nearctic region.

Similar Taxa

Other Tipulidae speciesMost crane flies are significantly smaller and display wing interference patterns absent in H. hespera
Holorusia mikadoAsian of comparable large size, but geographically separated (Eastern Palearctic/Oriental versus Nearctic distribution)

More Details

Wing structure

The absence of interference patterns in H. hespera has been attributed to wing thickness, representing a structural rather than pigmentary difference from patterned relatives