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Tipulidae - Europe (in development)

Authors: Even Dankowicz

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Use this guide to help identify observations on iNaturalist:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?taxon_id=51225&place_id=97391&lrank=subtribe

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Tipulidae of Europe

  • Ctenophorinae
    • Ctenophora
    • Dictenidia bimaculata
    • Phoroctenia
    • Tanyptera
  • Dolichopezinae
    • Dolichopeza
  • Tipulinae
    • Prionocera
    • Angarotipula
    • Nigrotipula nigra
    • Nephrotoma
    • Tipula

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Ctenophora

  • Very short ovipositor
  • male antennae branched, each segment with 4 branches
  • usually very wasp-like
  • female antennae with 13 segments

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for species ID see Oosterbroek etal 2006 (couplet 5 on page 5)

© Enric Bringués, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Phoroctenia vittata

  • Short, but distinctly pointed ovipositor
  • male antennae branched, each segment with 4 branches
  • patterning similar to the image at right (which belongs to a different subspecies, that found in North America)

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Germany, Poland to Norway, Russia

BC, © Scott Gilmore, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Dictenidia bimaculata

  • male antennae branched, each segment with 2 branches
  • wing with two spots near apex
  • female antennae with 9-10 segments

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widespread

© michi1, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Tanyptera

  • male antennae branched, each segment with 3 branches
  • Long, slender ovipositor, unlike other Ctenophorinae
  • black, basal abdomen sometimes reddish
  • wings lightly infuscated
  • reddish, sometimes mostly black

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trochanter

longer vs shorter male antennal appendages

female femoral apex

T. atrata

widespread

orange to brown

~2x as long

orange to brown

T. nigricornis

widespread

black,

~1.5x as long

black

© Armand Turpel, iNaturalist / CC BY

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Dolichopeza

  • Tarsus uniquely longer than tibia+femur combined
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Prionocera

  • Antennae without visible setae
  • Antennomeres enlarged apically; antennae appear serrate
  • Wings not especially banded, just with stigma markings
  • Rs long, beginning far before Sc apex

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Angarotipula

  • Antennae without visible setae, relatively long
  • Antennae more or less cylindrical

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Nigrotipula nigra

  • Antennae with ~4 large setae at base of antennomeres
  • Rs relatively short, almost as short as Nephrotoma
  • body, legs, and wings brown

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widespread outside of Iberian peninsula

© Rob Westerduijn, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Nephrotoma

  • Antennae with ~4 large setae at base of antennomeres
  • Rs short, beginning near Sc apex
  • scutum shiny, without pubescence/pruinosity
  • thorax typically pale yellow with orange to black stripes, sometimes entirely black

© bazwal, iNaturalist / CC BY-NC

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Tipula

  • Antennae with ~4 large setae at base of antennomeres
  • Rs long, beginning far before Sc apex

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Sources

  • BugGuide.net
  • iNaturalist.org
  • Manual of Nearctic Diptera
  • Catalogue of the Craneflies of the World, https://ccw.naturalis.nl
  • Pape, Beuk, Paul, Oosterbroek, Fauna Europaea: Tipulidae. Fauna Europaea, https://fauna-eu.org
  • Oosterbroek, Bygebjerg, Munk, 2006. The West Palearctic species ofCtenophorinae (Diptera: Tipulidae):key, distribution and references. Entomologische Berichten 66(5): 138-149