| Nephrotoma quadrifaria (Meigen, 1804) |
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Scientific name: Nephrotoma quadrifaria (Meigen, 1804) Common name: French name: Order: Diptera Family: Tipulidae Wingspan : Body size: 13-15mm; Wing length: 12-15mm. Biotope: Shady places, forests, bushes, hedgerows. Geographic area: Europe, missing in the Iberian Peninsula. Observation period : April to September. |
Like other crane flies, diptera of the Nephrotoma genus show very long and fragile legs. The thorax bears black marks on a yellow ground colour. The wings are held aligned over the body when at rest. Nephrotoma quadrifaria has large black pterostigmas. The veins (Cu and Mcu) running from these pterostigmas and crossing the wings are bordered with dark colour. The apex of the wings is slightly darkened. The upper side of the head bears a black triangular mark. The Spotted Cranefly (Nephrotoma appendiculata) has not so well marked pterostigmas, they are only slightly shaded. The abdomen is pointed on females. The larvae grow in the soil and feed on roots. |
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The thorax is black and yellow. The wings are held aligned over the body when at rest. The black pterostigmas and the veins bordered with dark colour draw some kind of a dark cross stripe on the wings. |
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The black pterostigmas, the veins bordered with dark colour and the darkened apex of the wings are clearly visible on this side view. |
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Top view of head and thorax. |
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Side view of head and thorax. |
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Here is a new sighting of a Nephrotoma crane fly with large black pterostigmas. This simple criterion applies to many species. The wings in overlapping position do not facilitate the examination of the other criteria to identify Nephrotoma quadrifaria. However, by zooming in on the unreduced view, I think I can see the dark-edged veins and the darkened apex. |
André Bon January 2023