Dobsonflies (subfamily Corydalinae, family Corydalidae)
Dobsonflies are in the insect order Megaloptera. There are over 220 species. They are found throughout the Americas and Asia, as well as South Africa. Their closest relatives are the fishflies. Both sexes can reach lengths up to five in. (12.5 cm), from pincer tips to wingtips. Their wingspans can be 2x as long as body length. The wings are densely lined with intersecting veins. When not in use, the wings are folded along the length of their bodies. Dobsonflies have long, multi-segmented antennae.
(photo: male Corydalus cornutus, NY, USA, by Mike Bell)
Males have large relatively weak pincers, used only in mating, and females have strong short sharp pincers which may deliver a painful bite. They are not venomous, but possess an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray as a last-ditch defense.
(larva, Cave Creek, Chiricahua Mts., AZ, USA, by Don Ehlan)
Dobsonflies spend most of their life in the larval stage, during which they are called “hellgrammites”. Hellgrammites live under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, streams and rivers, and prey on other insect larvae…
(read more: Wikipedia)
(top photo: female Protohermes grandis, Kobe, Japan, by OpenCage)
