Tipula vestigipennis is a species of crane fly in the family Tipulidae, found in the western United States.
Description Males are typically 15mm in body length with a wing length of 5-9mm. Females are typically 22mm in body length with a wing length of 5-6mm.
The overall color of the subjects can be described as "brownish yellow". The following is a list of characteristics:
Yellowish head and rostrum (gray above), sometimes with a brownish stripe Palpi is yellowish towards the base and brownish towards the tip The first, second, and third segments of the antennae are yellow with the remaining segments brownish and getting darker towards the tip of the antennae Each brown antennae segment is furnished with 4-5 stiff hairs Collar is yellowish with median and lateral brownish spots Dorsum of the thorax is a light yellow Dorsal stripes are yellow Median stripe divided by a broad yellow line Pleura and coxae are hairy Seutellum is yellow and lighter laterally with a narrow median brown line Metanotum is light yellow Halteres are yellow with black knobs Femora and tibia are yellowish and darker towards the tip Tarsi are brownish to blackish Abdomen has broad dorsal, lateral, and ventral brown stripes Seventh and eighth segments are often almost entirely blackish or brownish The posterior margin of the eighth sternite of the male is slightly curved, with a broad shallow median incision which is usually filled with light-colored membrane From this membrane, two tufts of light yellow hairs arise, which cross each other close to the base at about a 45° angle Broad sub-triangular chitinized plates are attached to the lateral margins of the eighth sternite which stand at right angles to it Posterior margin of the ninth tergite has a broad and shallow circular incision In the middle of this incision, two short triangular processes arise The ovipositor is long and stout Straight, acute upper valves Lower valves almost reach the tip of the upper valves Rounded tips
Range Tipula vestigipennis is found exclusively in San Francisco County and San Mateo County.
Ecology As with all Triplicitipula, T. vestigipennis is considered a pest. It is destructive to vegetation and crops.
Taxonomy Tipula vestigipennis was first described by Rennie Wilbur Doane in Psyche (1908).
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