A crane fly, Tipulidae, species unknown, male. (The females are thicker through the abdomen and have a pointy end for laying eggs underground; the males have assorted "grapplers" at the end of the tail. At least that's what they look like to me.
Instead of a second pair of wings, these flies have a pair of halteres, or knobs on short sticks, which help with steering in flight.
And no, they don't bite. I used to think of them as giant mosquitoes, and was slightly afraid of them. But they rarely eat at all as adults, and then only a bit of nectar. This guy was quite tame, and sat quietly unless I brought the camera too close; then he would shiver all over and squirm delicately an inch or so off to the side.
I love the sheen on those wings!
Great photos, Susannah.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, for sharing that you once thought they were oversized mosquitoes. So did I, and I'm happy to know I'm not alone in that.