Crane fly
A slender, long-legged fly in the infraorder Tipulomorpha. Adults resemble oversized mosquitoes but do not bite; many larvae live in soil or water.
Tipulomorpha: An infraorder of flies that includes crane flies and several related groups. Crane flies belong to this lineage of long-legged flies.
Crane fly larva: The wormlike immature stage of a crane fly, commonly called a leatherjacket in some regions. Larvae do most feeding and cause the main ecological and agricultural effects.
Leatherjacket: The soil-dwelling larva of a crane fly, especially one that damages grass or crops. This larval form is the stage commonly monitored as a turf and pasture pest.
European crane fly: Tipula paludosa, a European species whose larvae can damage turf and pasture. Its larvae are a well-known source of leatherjacket damage.
Diptera: The insect order comprising true flies, which have one functional pair of wings. Crane flies share the defining one-pair wing plan of true flies.
Crane fly pupa: The nonfeeding developmental stage between a crane fly larva and adult. The pupa transforms the soil- or water-dwelling larva into a winged adult.
Turfgrass: Grass species and cultivars maintained as a continuous surface for lawns and sports fields. Some crane fly larvae feed on turf roots and shoots, weakening grass.
Hawaiian crane fly: A crane fly species native to Hawaii, including forms adapted to unusual island habitats. Hawaiian species illustrate the group's diversification across isolated habitats.
Insect metamorphosis: The developmental transformation insects undergo as they pass through immature stages into adults. Crane flies develop through distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages.
Holometabolism: Insect development with distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. Crane flies undergo complete metamorphosis rather than gradually acquiring adult form.