Posted by Walther Gritsch on 22-06-2012 19:13
#1
Hi
This very odd
Tipula was caught in a boggy meadow in a forest south of Copenhagen on 20. vi 2012. It is of average size. Wing length about 15mm.
At first glance it appears to belong to the subgenus
Lunatipula with its hairy squamae and overall yellow colour, but it doesn't fit the bill. There is no danish species that looks quite like this. The disc cell is small like in
fascipennis, but neither male nor female genitalia match.
Another strange thing is that the tibial spurs are 1-1-2 and I have checked this very carefully. Mid tibiae have only one spur and there is no sign of a second one having broken of. Even the venation is a bit off compared to the genus
Tipula.
I am really puzzled and hope somebody here can help me crack it. I have prepared a number of shots for you to ponder :)
Regards,
Posted by Walther Gritsch on 25-06-2012 13:01
#5
No cranefly aficionados around? I was thinking, might this not be an intersex? I haven't dissected the genitalia but it seems there are no claspers, there are no cerci and no sternal valves. Or all of it is there just strangely developed.