Bittacomorpha clavipes
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Bittacomorpha clavipes, the eastern phantom crane fly, is a species of phantom crane fly in the family Ptychopteridae. The eastern phantom crane fly is not to be confused with the other phantom crane flies, Bittacomorphella jonesi and Bittacomorpha occidentalis — the pygmy phantom crane fly and the western phantom crane fly.
The eastern phantom crane fly is distributed across Eastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains, from late spring to early fall, in the fairly dense vegetation along the shady edges of wetlands. The eastern phantom crane fly is not large. The body is approximately a half inch long and its legs are thin and black with white sheaths near the tips.
When flying, Bittacomorpha uses the wings scarcely at all, relying in great measure upon wind currents for transportation. The legs are exceedingly light, as the exoskeleton is light and delicate, and encloses practically no tissue that can serve to increase their weight. As they expose a large surface, they offer great resistance to the air without adding appreciably to the insect’s weight.
A characteristic and unique feature of the family is a lobe at the base of the haltere called the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Phantom Crane Fly sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 528th most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Phantom Crane Fly in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Phantom Crane Fly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Eastern Phantom Crane Fly sightings, Washington ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Boston (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Eastern Phantom Crane Fly that you can see in Washington (order Diptera, Flies) are Eastern Calligrapher (about 10%), Margined Calligrapher (about 10%) and Common Picture-Winged Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Phantom Crane Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (40 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
