Nature Fact

Craneflies are members of the insect order of Diptera and are true flies with one pair of functional wings.  As in all Diptera, the hindwings are much reduced in size to form small knobbled projections, called halteres, which are sense organs that act like gyroscopes and enable the fly to keep its balance. Craneflies belong to a distinct family, the Tepulidae, and have long, thin, soft bodies, narrow wings and long spindly legs and are commonly known by the name ‘daddy long legs’.