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Database of Insects and their Food Plants

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Home of the Database of Insects and their Food Plants © Roger Key Family   Tipulidae Sub Family   Description   crane-flies, also known as 'daddy-long-legs' Background to Family   Small to very large flies, of which some of the bigger species sport mimetic warning colouration. Crane-flies are terrestrial, semi-aquatic or aquatic as larvae, and are mainly associated with damp environments. Larvae generally live in and around moss, soil, fungal fruiting bodies, decaying wood and even marine littoral lichens. They appear to be largely detritus feeders, but also consume living plant tissue to varying degrees. Exceptionally, Cylindrotoma distinctissima has a free-living, caterpillar-like larva. Certain species feeding on the roots of grasses and cereals are pests on lawns, golf courses or agricultural land.     © Roger Key No. taxa in DBIF   10 No. interactions   28 % interactions with British data   96% No. records   33 % taxa with British data   90% Notes   Data currently unassessed by a specialist for changes in nomenclature, new species to the British list, new interactions, errors in original sources, and misspellings.; Numerous crane-fly sub-families have been elevated to family level within the Tipuloidea: Tipulidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Cylindrotomidae. 'Tipulidae' in the database includes all these families. ; Only a fraction of the 320+ British craneflies are present in the database. Diets are generally poorly known but, while detritivory is a major mode of feeding, it is likely that many plant interactions could be added. Notes on Sources   Most recent source   1981 Below is a list of all sources for this family / sub-family contained within DBIF. Click on source name for a list of all records for this source.   Source   Hofsvang, T.(1981) Fauna norv. Ser. B 28 93-95:94 Source   French, N.(1979) Advis. Leafl. Minist. Agric. Fish. Fd. :179 1-5:2 Source   Uffen, R. & Chandler, P. in eds. Stubbs, A. & Chandler, P. (1978) A Dipterist's Handbook 15 213-236:219 Source   Jones, F.G.W. & Jones, M.G. (1974 ) Pests of Field Crops :184 Source   Stubbs, A.E.(1980) Proc. and Trans. Br. entomol. and natur. Hist. Soc. 13 133-133:133