Are craneflies getting bigger? - Ask Extension
Over the last five or ten years, I have noticed that craneflies seem to be getting bigger and bigger on the average. Is anyone tracking this? Could i...
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Are craneflies getting bigger? #876063
Asked July 05, 2024, 10:52 PM EDT
Over the last five or ten years, I have noticed that craneflies seem to be getting bigger and bigger on the average. Is anyone tracking this? Could it be caused by rising temperatures?
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Tiel,
Thanks for your observations!
I am not aware of anyone monitoring cranefly sizes over time. However, there are more than 1500 cranefly species (species in the infraorder Tipulomorpha) in North America that can vary greatly in size, so a first step in monitoring sizes over time would be to make sure that you are looking at the same species each time. Males and females can also differ in size, so noting the sex would also be important.
You might be able to find published information on size ranges of certain cranefly species and if the information was published a while ago, you could compare that with the size of specimens of the same species are being caught now.
Sorry to not have more definitive information.
Yours,
Thanks for your observations!
I am not aware of anyone monitoring cranefly sizes over time. However, there are more than 1500 cranefly species (species in the infraorder Tipulomorpha) in North America that can vary greatly in size, so a first step in monitoring sizes over time would be to make sure that you are looking at the same species each time. Males and females can also differ in size, so noting the sex would also be important.
You might be able to find published information on size ranges of certain cranefly species and if the information was published a while ago, you could compare that with the size of specimens of the same species are being caught now.
Sorry to not have more definitive information.
Yours,
