| Spotted Cranefly (Nephrotoma appendiculata (Pierre, 1919)) |
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Scientific name: Nephrotoma appendiculata (Pierre, 1919) Common name: Spotted Cranefly French name: Néphrotome de Pierre Order: Diptera Family: Tipulidae Wingspan : Male 14mm; Female 18mm; Wing length: 13-15mm Biotope: Hedgerows, woodland edges, parks and gardens. Geographic area: Europe From northern Italy to south of Finland and south of Scandinavia. Observation period : April to September. |
The Spotted Cranefly, like all other Crane flies, shows very thin and long legs. The thorax bears black marks on a yellow ground colour. The wings are held aligned over the body when at rest. Nephrotoma appendiculata has just slightly shaded pterostigmas. Many Nephrotoma species show dark pterostigmas. The sides of the thorax, anatergite and katatergite (located between the haltere and the base of the wing) draw a kind of black U-shaped mark (anatergite) circling a pale yellow area (katatergite). The abdomen is orange-yellow with a black line. The abdomen is pointed on females. The larvae grow in the soil and feed on roots. |
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You can see the slightly shaded pterostigmas on this picture. The pointed tip of the abdomen, visible by transparency through the wings, indicate one female. |
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You can clearly see the black U-shaped anatergite above the haltere. It is circling the pale yellow katatergite. So this one is Nephrotoma appendiculata. |
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This side view of the thorax provides a good view of the typical upside down U-shaped marking. |
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Here is another specimen with a side view of the thorax. |
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Upper side view. |
André Bon February 2024