# What is this insect?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/819360>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 9, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/819360 "2018-08-09T19:26:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/819360/1 "2018-08-09T19:26:42Z")

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Sorry, no photo. My daughter took a video of it. It looks a lot like a mosquito eater: spindly legs and all, and the same size, but the legs have what I would describe as pads at the ends, which I haven’t seen before. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/819360/2 "2018-08-09T19:35:28Z")

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I assume this mystery bug was found in the US?

If it was back east or in the midwest, it may be a phantom crane fly:

[http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/2014/08/21/phantom-crane-fly/](http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/2014/08/21/phantom-crane-fly/)

Crane flies are of course the “real” name for mosquito eaters.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-insect/819360/3 "2018-08-09T20:00:31Z")

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Yup, crane fly it is. Thanks.