Adult crane flies rarely live for more than two weeks
The crane fly is an insect of the biological categorization Tipulidae. They are slender creatures with long, spindly legs and are found in temperate and tropical countries of the world, such as the United States, Canada, South Africa, Great Britain, Ireland and Australia. They are known by several different names in different countries, including daddy long-legs, mosquito hawk and gollywhopper. Crane flies go through several different stages during their life cycle.
Characteristics
There are thought to be more than 4,000 different species of crane fly in the world, although they all share similar characteristics. Their slender body is a gray-brown color and their transparent wings have a brown line on the front edge. It resembles a large mosquito but is completely harmless to humans. They vary in size from under 1 inch to almost 4 inches in some tropical species.
Eggs
The female crane fly has an abdomen that differs in shape from the male. Whereas the male's body is square-ended, the female's is pointed. This is because it contains an oviposter, a biological structure used for laying eggs. A female will lay her eggs on vegetation, often decaying plant matter of the ground, so that when the young hatch they will have immediate access to food. Some crane flies will lay their eggs in water if their larvae are aquatic.
Larvae
All crane fly larvae feed on vegetation, including vegetables, flowers, fruit and roots, although some have also been known to feed on mosquito larvae. The larvae are sometimes called "leatherbacks", "leatherjackets" or "leatherback slugs" because of the way they move as they search for food. They spend most of their time underground. Crane fly larvae are usually a dull brown color and have chewing mouth parts, in comparison with the adult which has a long snout and a proboscis, a thin, elongated, flexible tube. They are sometimes treated as pests in gardens and agricultural land for their destructive effects on plant life.
Pupation
The larval stage is approximately 10 months long. When the crane fly larvae has consumed enough food to provide it with the energy required to pupate, it will develop a hard pupal case in which to metamorphose into an adult crane fly. Usually, crane fly pupae will be located within the organic matter on the ground. They do not move and are a dull brown color in order to blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators. Pupation takes approximately four weeks.
Adult
Having attained the adult form, crane flies break the pupal case and fly away. Adult crane flies rarely live for more than two weeks. A few species will feed on nectar, using their long proboscis, but the majority will not feed during this time. Their energy is devoted to finding a mate. Having successfully mated, and the female having laid her eggs, the crane fly will die. Crane flies are usually nocturnal and are attracted to lights. This is usually the reason why they get into houses.
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