Dichrostigma flavipes

Dichrostigma flavipes · Order: Raphidioptera · Family: Raphidiidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Dichrostigma flavipes
Photo: Beentree, CC BY-SA 3.0

Adults have a pterostigma that changes from brown near the body to yellow farther away. They live mainly at forest edges, can tolerate many habitats, but prefer dry, hot places and are found in Western Europe. The larvae live in soil around tree and bush roots and need two years to develop into adults.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The species is identified by a two-coloured pterostigma that goes from brown near the body to yellow farther away.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Adults are euryoecious, meaning they can live in many different habitats. They prefer dry and hot locations. They are most often found at the edge of forests.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Larvae develop in soil around tree and bush roots and need two years to become adults.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It occurs in Western Europe.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Nevada.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

More photos

Questions people ask

How can I recognize Dichrostigma flavipes?

Look for a pterostigma that is brown near the body and turns yellow toward the tip.

Source: Wikipedia

Where does this bug usually live?

Adults are found at forest edges, can tolerate many habitats, but like dry, hot places.

Source: Wikipedia

How long does it take for the larvae to become adults?

The larvae need about two years to develop into adult bugs.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Raphidiidae)

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichrostigma_flavipes

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.