# What Is This Insect?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507 "2005-04-03T08:14:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507/1 "2005-04-03T08:14:19Z")

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I’ve seen these insects around here in Northern California for several years. One is flying around here as I speak, but I can’t swat the bugger or get it on film to post a pic to help in IDing it.

Ok, it looks like a mosquito, but it is GIANT. We’re talking a half-dollar size wing-span. Also the wings are slightly different. I have never seen one bite anyone either. We’ve had a bunch get in our house recently, and yet to have a bite.

I was told by a friend it was a “mosquito hawk” and it looks like a mosquito in order to lure real mosquitos in and eat them. But mosquito hawks are birds, so I think they were on crack.

I used to live on a swamp in CT, and believe me, I’ve seen my share of skeeters. I’ve never seen one this size or quite like this outside of CA.

Might it be a GIANT skeeter of some type? A female mosquito? A clever mosquito-eating look-alike?

I wish I could get a picture of the bugger. It’s driving me nuts. Anyone have a guess about what this thing might be?

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**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507/2 "2005-04-03T08:18:04Z")

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Cranefly

Harmless, but I still hate the things.

[Linky](http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/crane.htm)

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507/3 "2005-04-03T08:19:14Z")

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Are you sure it’s really not a [mosquito hawk](http://images.google.com/images?q=Mosquito+hawk)? Wikipedia says that “mosquito hawk” refers to either a dragonfly or a [crane fly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly). Is that what you’re talking about?

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**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507/4 "2005-04-03T08:21:56Z")

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> [@St\_Ides](#):
>
> Cranefly
> 
> Harmless, but I still hate the things.
> 
> [Linky](http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/crane.htm)

Further image searches reveal this is _exactly_ what it is. Ahhhh…the sweet relief of no more brain itching from curiousity…

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**Author:** ![Kreekurmudgeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@Kreekurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kreekurmudgeon)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/297507/5 "2005-04-03T14:53:56Z")

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We always called them “gallnippers,” though if you want to look it up, you would probably do better with an internet search than with a dictionary. It’s etymology seems to be old south or possibly American Indian.