Black-striped Cranefly
TQ4892 09/05/2019 ©Raymond Small
Tipula vernalis
Flies from April to June in damp woodland and marshy locations. It is a large Cranefly with a distinctive wing pattern, a dark stripe along the back and green eyes. Females are plump when gravid and have a pointed ovipositor for placing eggs into soil. Males are slimmer with squared off or club-shaped abdomens. Adults feed on nectar and their larvae consume plant roots.
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