DIPTEKA OF THE SUPERFAMILY TTPULOIDEA FOUND 

 IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



By C. P. Alexander, 



Of the Illinois State Natural History Survey, 



and 



W. L. McAtee, 



Of the United States Biological Survey. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The present contribution to a series of lists of District of Co- 

 lumbia Diptera includes the Tipulidae and three smaller families 

 closely related to them. Inclusion of families of lesser with those 

 of greater importance — in other words, making the superfamily ^ 

 the unit of the list — is deemed good policy, as it will avoid having 

 ■finally left over for treatment a miscellaneous lot of the smaller 

 families. 



The fragile, long-legged flies that are known commonl}'^ to Ameri- 

 can naturalists as crane-flies, are called by a variety of local or 

 regional names. In Britain their almost universal name is " daddy 

 longlegs " — a term in this country applied to the Phalangidae or 

 harvest-men. In northern Scotland they are often called " spin- 

 ners " ; in south-central Scotland, " jenny meggies," only the larger 

 species being known as crane-flies. In parts of the United States 

 the larger species are called " gallinippers " and are greatly feared 

 by certain individuals, who mistake them for giant mosquitoes. In 

 parts of the Southern States the large dancing crane-flies pass by 

 .the name of " weavers." The large, thick-bodied, tough-skinned 

 larvae of the larger crane-flies are sometimes called " leather- jackets." 



Crane-flies abound in almost all parts of the world, being re- 

 stricted only by intense cold and dryness. Water or moisture is a 

 necessary condition for the development of the immature stages of 

 most species of Tipulidae, and as a result extensive deserts or plains 



1 In this respect the classification of J. R. Malloch is followed. See A Preliminary 

 Classification of Diptera, etc., Part 1, Bull. III. State Lab. Nat. Hist, vol. 12, art. 3, 

 ;March, 1917, p. 182. 



Proceedings U .S. National Museum. Vol. 58— No. 2344. 

 181404— 21— Proc.N.M.vol.ns 25 385 



