craneflies
Harmless leggy insects
Craneflies are slender, long-legged insects that resemble oversized mosquitoes but don't bite.
They're harmless to humans despite their alarming appearance.
Also called daddy longlegs in British English, though Americans use that term for a different arachnid.
The larvae, called leatherjackets, live in soil and can damage lawns.
Also spelled crane flies.
Thin and fragile-looking
- ganglyAwkwardly tall and thin
- lankyTall and ungainly thin
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- leggyHaving lengthy limbs
slender · fragile · delicate · gossamer · wispy · feathery · diaphanous · gauzy
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- entomologyStudy of insects
- six-leggedHaving half-dozen appendages
larvae · leatherjackets · metamorphosis · pupa · imago · species · chitin
Water-saturated terrain
- marshGrassy waterlogged lowland
- bogAcidic peat wetland
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- fenLow marshy ground
mire · peatland · reedbed · riparian · damp · moist · lawn · grassland
Active during darkness
- flutteringLight, rapid movement
- bumblingClumsily incompetent
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
uncoordinated · bobbing · drifting · harmless · swarming · short-lived · ephemeral · fleeting
Long-limbed arachnid
- mosquitoBlood-feeding flying pest
- harvestmanLong-legged arachnid, not spider
- misidentifiedIncorrectly recognized or labeled
- harmlessCausing no injury
spindly
Thin and fragile-looking
leggy · slender · fragile · delicate · gossamer · wispy · feathery · diaphanous · gauzy · translucent
diptera
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- entomologyStudy of insects
six-legged · larvae · leatherjackets · metamorphosis · pupa · imago · species · chitin
wetlands
Water-saturated terrain
fen · mire · peatland · reedbed · riparian · damp · moist · lawn · grassland · meadow
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- flutteringLight, rapid movement
- bumblingClumsily incompetent
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
awkward · uncoordinated · bobbing · drifting · harmless · swarming · short-lived · ephemeral · fleeting · transient
daddy-longlegs
Long-limbed arachnid
- mosquitoBlood-feeding flying pest
- harvestmanLong-legged arachnid, not spider
- misidentifiedIncorrectly recognized or labeled
cranefliesmosquitoes
Blood-drinking flying insects
mosquitos · gnats · midges · no-see-ums · black flies
flying, crane, flyer, flies, cranes, cranium, cranial, cranefly, craniotomy