True Fly Family Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies)

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Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Diptera (True Flies)

» Family Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies)

Common Name

Match	Common Name
	Phantom Crane Flies

Pictures Below ↓

See Tipulidae for details about craneflies. This family is not known to differ from them in any ways important to anglers except appearance.

This family has evolved a really unusual feature for an insect: its legs also serve the function of wings. The tibiae (

The tibia of this Isonychia bicolor mayfly spinner is highlighted in red.

Tibia: A middle segments in the leg of an insect, located between the femur and the tarsus.) are greatly enlarged and help catch the wind. The legs usually have white tips, making them very easily identifiable in flight. There is a ghostly look to a dark, sparse insect flying around the stream, usually alone, with the fixed bright white points of its leg tips surrounding it like a halo.

Pictures of 2 Phantom Crane Fly Specimens:

Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies) Phantom Crane Fly Larva

Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies) True Fly Larva

View 3 Pictures

Collected February 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies) Phantom Crane Fly Larva

View 7 Pictures

Collected July 28, 2019 from Mystery Creek #199 in Washington
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on July 30, 2019

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True Fly Family Ptychopteridae (Phantom Crane Flies)

Pictures of 2 Phantom Crane Fly Specimens:

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