''Tipula'' is a very large

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

genus in the fly family Tipulidae (crane flies). The members of this genus are sometimes collectively called common crane flies. ''Tipula'' contains over 2,000 species located throughout the world. Like all crane flies, ''Tipula'' species have long bodies and long legs, somewhat resembling large

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

s. Adults generally have a body length of 15–20 mm. They are usually brown with clear or brownish wings. They feed on nectar and are active throughout the year. ''Tipula'' maggots are sometimes known as "leather jackets" due to their tough skin. Technical description: Discal cell present; M3 arises from M4; all tibiae spurred Antennae with whorls of long hairs. Rs usually long; Sc ends far from base of Rs; cell 4 always petiolate; body colour usually grey, brown or dull yellow, rarely black; praescutal stripes (when present) usually dull, rarely slightly shining. Species of ''Tipula'' can be affected by fungal diseases, such as '' Zoophthora porteri'', found in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, USA.

Species

See list of ''Tipula'' species.

Gallery

Tipula bicornis.jpg, '' Tipula bicornis'' male Tipula paterifera on flowers.jpg, '' T. paterifera'' Unidentified tipula larva.jpg, Larva Tipula sp. from Sri Lanka.jpg, from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

References

External links

Catalogue of the Craneflies of the World
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1818764 Tipulidae Tipuloidea genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus