ABSTRACT
Family TIPULIDAE (crane flies) Slow-flying insects (widely known as ‘daddy-longlegs’), with elongate bodies, long and narrow wings, and very long, fragile legs. Larvae (colloquially known as ‘leatherjackets’) are elongate, more or less cylindrical and slightly tapered anteriorly, with a soft, but tough, leathery skin; the head is small and indistinct; the final abdominal (anal) segment bears numerous fleshy papillae, the features of which are often useful for distinguishing between species. Leatherjackets are typically soil inhabiting; they feed on the roots, and sometimes on the lowermost leaves, of a wide range of plants.
