I've seen a few of these distinctive looking craneflies over the years, and I now know that at this time of year, with the dark stripe down the side of the thorax (pleura) they are Tipula (Savtshenkia) rufina. This female was on a wall next to the office!
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There's one in my moth trap tonight!
ReplyDeleteYes, they do like light traps. I had a few in Pembrokeshire last week.
ReplyDeleteI also had a ginormous caddis, wing length c. 26mm. I guess that can only be another Phryganea at that size. I'll have a look at it this evening under the microscope and pop a pic on the East Glam blog.
ReplyDeleteI caught a male Tipula rufina in my trap on 1st March. I thought this might be a particularly early record, but Pete Boardman informs me that a chap in Wiltshire has been catching them since Christmas!
ReplyDeleteRe the caddis, I had the not quite as large (but still impressive) Stenophylax permistus in my garden trap on 6th March.
George
Have just looked at the Caddis and mine is a Stenophylax permistus too. Wing length 23mm not 26mm after measuring it properly...
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