In The Details

Tipulidae (Crane Flies)

The genus Tipula, commonly known as crane flies, includes 23 fossil species described from Florissant. Many of these crane flies were fairly large insects more than an inch (2.5 cm) in length. The genus still lives today, and you may have seen their modern relatives clinging to your walls.

Tipula had two wings. Behind the forewings are two haltares that evolved from hindwings and helped provide stability during flight.

Fossil deposits that have exceptional preservation of details or soft body parts are known as Lagerstätten. Tipula is a good example of a fossil showing such remarkable preservation. It has a long head with big bulging eyes that preserve incredible details under a microscope. These are known as compound eyes, which consist of numerous photoreception units pointing in slightly different directions. The compound eye gave this crane fly a wide field of view. You can also see little hair-like protrusions known as sensilla that helped the crane fly sense or feel the environment in which it lived. The soft-bodied organs of the female reproductive tract known as spermathecae are also amazingly preserved in the insect’s abdomen.