Ptychopteridae
The Ptychopteridae, phantom crane flies, are a small family (three extant genera) of nematocerous Diptera. Superficially similar in appearance to other "tipuloid" families, they lack the ocelli of the Trichoceridae, the five-branched radial vein of the Tanyderidae, and the two anal veins that reach the wing margins of the Tipulidae. They are usually allied with the Tanyderidae based on similarities of the mesonotal suture, this group being called the Ptychopteromorpha. Life history Egg ''Ptychoptera albimana'' (Palearctic) has a mean of 554 eggs laid. The shape is slightly arcuated, "curiously ornamented", and roughly . Duration is reported at 7 days. Larvae The larvae are eucephalous and distinctive for the long, caudal respiratory siphon they possess. At hatching, they measure just under in ''P. albimana'', quickly growing to nearly . They occur in moist habitats (described as "wet swales and meadows" for ''Ptychoptera''; along lentic shorelines and alder swamps for ''Bitta ...
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Bittacomorpha Clavipes
''Bittacomorpha clavipes'', known as the phantom crane fly (though this name can also apply to any member of Ptychopteridae), is a species of fly in the family Ptychopteridae. It is found in the eastern United States west to the Rocky Mountains. It flies upright with its legs spread apart. The female lays hundreds of eggs by dipping its abdomen in the water. References

Ptychopteridae Insects described in 1781 {{Ptychopteromorpha-stub ...
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