A crane fly is any member of the dipteran superfamily Tipuloidea, which contains the living families Cylindrotomidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae, as well as several extinct families. "Winter crane flies", members of the family Trichoceridae, are sufficiently different from the typical crane flies of Tipuloidea to be excluded from the superfamily Tipuloidea, and are placed as their sister group within Tipulomorpha.
Tipulidae is a family of large crane flies in the order Diptera. There are more than 30 genera and 4,200 described species in Tipulidae, common and widespread throughout the world.
The Nematocera are a suborder of elongated flies with thin, segmented antennae and mostly aquatic larvae. This group is paraphyletic and contains all flies except for species from suborder Brachycera, which includes more commonly known species such as the housefly or the common fruit fly. The equivalent clade to Nematocera is the whole Diptera, with Brachycera as a subclade. Families in Nematocera include mosquitoes, crane flies, gnats, black flies, and multiple families commonly known as midges. The Nematocera typically have fairly long, fine, finely-jointed antennae. In many species, such as most mosquitoes, the female antennae are more or less threadlike, but the males have spectacularly plumose antennae.
Limoniidae is the largest of four crane fly families, with more than 10,700 species in more than 150 genera. Some studies have suggested it to be a paraphyletic group, with some limoniids being more closely related to Tipulidae and Cylindrotomidae than to other limoniids. Limoniid crane flies can usually be distinguished by the way the wings are held at rest. Limoniids usually hold/fold the wings along the back of the body, whereas other crane flies usually hold them out at right angles. Snow flies such as Chionea scita have no wings at all. Limoniids are also usually smaller than other crane flies, with some exceptions.
The Chioneinae are a subfamily of limoniid crane flies.
Ctenophora is a genus of true crane flies. The species are large, shiny black craneflies with large yellow, orange, or red markings to mimic wasps. Males have comb-like antennae. The larvae are saproxylic. The species are confined to old deciduous forests, orchards, and other habitats with continuity of the presence of dying and fallen trees. Ctenophora species are important bioindicators.
The Limnophilinae are a subfamily of limoniid crane flies. Some authors still use the name Hexatominae for this subfamily.
Cylindrotoma is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae.
Stibadocera is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae. Stibadocera are unusual for crane flies in that the males have very long antenna, sometimes as long as the body. Most species are very small (6–10 mm).
Diogma is a genus of crane flies in the family Cylindrotomidae.
Liogma is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae.
Phalacrocera is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotominae.
Stibadocerina is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae.
Stibadocerodes is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae.
Triogma is a genus of crane fly in the family Cylindrotomidae.
The Cylindrotominae are one of two subfamilies in the family Cylindrotomidae. They typically have a long body relative to their wing size.
The Stibadocerinae are one of two subfamilies in the crane fly family Cylindrotomidae. Stibadocerinae has a total of 20 recorded species, found only in the southern hemisphere.
Tipulinae is a subfamily of crane flies. It contains the typical crane flies from the genus Tipula.
