CLOSED: Nephrotoma cornicina?

I have several pics of Crane Flies which look similar from different days, on careful inspection I think I have more than one species of male and female! In order to get anything positive I searched 'Nephrotoma species Britain' with a 'UK' only search.

To start with I think the first pic is a male Nephrotoma cornicina, the patches on the wings, thorax marks, and abdomen marks which are not as bold on mine but are in the right places.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39545.php

#1 taken on 21st June at 18.41

Side view of #1

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39547.php

This I think is the female Nephrotoma cornicina

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39524.php

#2 top view, taken on 26th June at 19.40

#2 side view

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39527.php

#3 I think is probably the female Nephrotoma cornicina again, taken 27th June at 17.42

Top view

#3 side view

There is a slight possibility the above could be Nephrotoma flavescens, but the wings don't look to have the dark patches and the tail end doesn't look as dark.

Male images only,

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39000.php

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P38887.php

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P38885.php

The next one seems to be different. The wing tabs are quite dark, it appears to be a male. There is a triangular mark at the lower end of the thorax under the 'smiley face' mark, not sure if it's at the top of the abdomen but is visible between the pair of hind legs.

There is one which seems to match, Nephrotoma quadrifaria. The legs are more yellow with dark joints, there is also a dark patch near the tail end which can be seen on the side view of my pic.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P4/P45220.php

#4 side view, taken 21st June at 12.40

#4 top view which need sharpening a little

This looks like a female Nephrotoma quadrifaria with the exception I can't see the dark wing tabs.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39072.php

#5 top view

#5 side view taken on 26th June at 15.08

There is more!

This one could be Nephrotoma flavescens, it's a female but there is only an image of a male. The wing veinations and abdomen/thorax patterns look to match.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P38884.php

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P38887.php

#6 top view, taken on 16th June at 17.41

#6 side view

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P38886.php

Topping it all off with another one! This I found dead inside, it looked much smaller than the others.

It looks like Nephrotoma flavipalpis, there is an image of a female where mine is a male but the wing tab and veinations are spot on. The underneath/side view shows the exact same marks on the thorax too.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39455.php

#7

This message was edited Jun 30, 2007 10:13 PM

Top view of the last one #7

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39458.php

That all gave me a headache, does anyone else want a headache by trying to work out which one I had last year??

Hum, how about the last one being Nephrotoma appendiculata, the side image of this female matches perfectly!

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P4/P49608.php

That would make all 5 on the bioimages site!

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T13404.HTM

I had a female Nephrotoma inside today, I got a pic before putting it outside. I've compared it closely to the others and have come to the conclusion that it is Nephrotoma cornicina.

My reasons are,

1) The wing veinations on the male in pic #1 match this, although comparing N. flavescens wing veination there is little to be seen in difference. The differences I have found are:

(a) the wing tabs, which on N. cornicina are closer to the edge, as mine are.

(b) the leading edge veins on both N. cornicina and N. flavescens are prominent, but the mid vein on N. cornicina is also prominent, not the case in N. flavescens.

All of mine, #1 and #6 as well as todays new pic, have a prominent mid vein.

I would perhaps also place #2 and #3 as N. cornicina, the legs look the same colour, but this is not for certain.

#'s 4, 5, 7 and what should be #8 I will attempt to look more closely at!

Todays pic #9, which I am calling a female N. cornicina

#7 I have compared with the wing veination of Nephrotoma flavipalpis again. While the wing in the air (on my pic) appears to have the same 'U' shape on the 3rd and 4th end veins up from the darker mid-vein, the wing on the table clearly shows this to be crossed, so this is not Nephrotoma flavipalpis.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39455.php

I'm not certainif it's N. cornicina either, the underneath is more marked on mine and it did look smaller

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39547.php

The wing tabs are also very dark with extra blotching to the inner side on my #7.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P39545.php

#4 and #5 at the moment I am sticking with Nephrotoma quadrifaria. The female doesn't look to have enough yellow on the legs but has some, the male does, along with the dark joints.

They both appear to have the strong wing veination of Nephrotoma quadrifaria, which appears to be stronger in many places although the vein pattern appears to be the same as N. cornicina. The male in pic #4 has dark wing tabs, the female doesn't appear to have those but what else has a broad abdomen, I am running out of choices where that is concerned!

I have changed my mind, N. appendiculata has the red 'appendage' on the tail end of the female. The wings barely have a dark tab, this matches #5 although the abdomen doesn't look as broad..

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P4/P49611.php

The appendage on pic #8 does not look to be red, but it has a broad looking abdomen as in this pic.

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P4/P49608.php

At the moment I am ruling that out for #8, but ruling it in for #5 as N. appendiculata

#4 I would say has too dark tabs on the wings, and yellow legs, to be the male partner of N. appendiculata. N. quadrifaria still looks the most likely one for #4.