Is this a Mozzie

[Ric]

Hi all,

Just wondering if any Entomological members can identify this insect for me.

It's about the size of the palm of my hand when you include the legs.

My first guess is that its a giant mozzie.

Cheers

[DavidU (Dave)]

A B52 of the Mozzie world?

[acropolite (Phil)]

I think it might be a Crane Fly (google Giant mosquito like insect with long proboscis).

Some have a long proboscis for nectar feeding.

If you look closely at the image you can see the balancers mentioned in the quote below, just behind the wings.

Crane flies (Tipulidae) are a family of insects resembling giant mosquitoes. Like the mosquito, they are in the order Diptera (flies). They have numerous other common names, many of them more or less regional, including daddy longlegs, mosquito hawks, mosquito eaters (or skeeter eaters), gallinippers, and jimmy spinners.
In appearance crane flies seem long and gangly, with very long legs, and a long slender abdomen. The wings are often held out when at rest, making the large halteres (balancers) easily visible (also visible on house flies

[troypiggo (Troy)]

Yes, it's a crane fly.

[Lumen Miner (Mitchell)]

LoL!! I get them round my place and thought they were giant mozzies. I have been keeping an eye on them, while shooting so I didn't get stung!! LoL.

[ving (David)]

yup definitely a crane fly

[M54 (Molly)]

Yes. It's a Crane fly.
We get them around here too. As far as I know they don't sting or bite.
They're always flying around the back yard and getting into the shed but I have never been bothered by them.
They are very fragile and lose a leg or two quite easily.
You have to be very gentle with them.

[Ric]

Cool, thanks all for your help.

I'm glad it's not a mozzie, they look like they could drain a human in 5 minutes.

Cheers

[Kal (Andrew)]

Learn something new every day. Scratch giant mozzie from my knowledge, add crane fly!

[troypiggo (Troy)]

I think they're pretty cool looking. I've seen quite a few, but these are my only shots of one up close. Unique face, like me

[Ric]

Nice images Troy.

I like the colours.