Trichoceridae, or winter crane flies, of the order Diptera are long, thin, delicate insects superficially similar in appearance to the Tipulidae, Tanyderidae, and Ptychopteridae.

The adults can be found flying in the fall and the spring and some are active even in the winter, hence their common name.

Aside from the presence of ocelli, they have a V-shaped suture on the mesonotum and distinct wing venation (if present).

They live in decaying vegetable matter and can be distinguished by their well-developed head capsule, amphineustic spiracular arrangement, and are oblique/vertical.

The oldest fossil of the group is Mailotrichocera, which is known from the Early to Late Jurassic of Eurasia.