Dobsonfly
Male Corydalus cornutus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Megaloptera Family: Corydalidae Genus: Corydalus Species: C. cornutus
Binomial name
Corydalus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The name dobsonfly refers to any species of the genus Corydalus (family Corydalidae). The most well-known of the numerous species is Corydalus cornutus, a long, dark-colored insect of North and Central America, that spends most of its life in its larval stage. The larvae of this and other species are called hellgrammites, live under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, streams and rivers, and prey on other insect larvae. Hellgrammites are used by many fishermen as bait, though this practice may stem, more than anything, from the challenge of catching a hellgramite without being bitten. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 357 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (751 × 1262 pixel, file size: 229 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ... Families Sialidae - Alderflies Corydalidae - Dobsonflies & Fishflies Megaloptera, from the Greek words mega, meaning large, and ptera, meaning wing, is an order of insects containing alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies. ... Wikispecies has information related to: Corydalidae The family Corydalidae contains the megalopterous insects known as dobsonflies and fishflies. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Wikispecies has information related to: Corydalidae The family Corydalidae contains the megalopterous insects known as dobsonflies and fishflies. ... Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake (from Latin lacus) is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. ... Butchers Creek, Omeo, Victoria A stream, brook, beck, burn or creek, is a body of water with a detectable current, confined within a bed and banks. ... This bridge across the Danube River links Hungary with Slovakia. ... Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ...

Though both male and female hellgrammites have short, sharp mandibles, those of the male adult dobsonfly are much bigger than the females' and are unable to harm humans, as they're so long and have such poor leverage that they're incapable of breaking the skin. They are used exclusively for grasping the females during mating. Female dobsonflies, however, retain the short, powerful pincers they had as larvae, so they can inflict painful--albeit nonvenomous--bites, which can draw blood. When threatened, they will raise their heads and spread their jaws menacingly. They also possess an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray, as a last-ditch defense. The mandible (from Latin mandibÅ­la, jawbone) or inferior maxillary bone is, together with the maxilla, the largest and strongest bone of the face. ...

After a few years of living and growing underwater, the larvae crawl out onto land and pupate. They stay in their cocoons over the winter and emerge only to mate. Upon emerging, they live for only a few days. While not generally believed to eat during their adult stage, some captive, female specimens have been observed with their heads burrowed into blackberries. Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) pupa Chrysalis redirects here: for other meanings see Chrysalis (disambiguation). ... The tough brown cocoon of an Emperor Gum Moth. ... Mate may refer to: Relationships: Mate (term), a term for a friend, especially in the United Kingdom and Australasia; also used to address strangers One of a pair of animals, sometimes also applied to a human partner; see mating Nautical: A deck officer on a merchant marine vessel, usually ranked...

Both male and female dobsonflies can reach lengths up to five inches, measured from the tips of their pincers to the tips of their four wings, which, when not in use, are folded along the length of their walkingstick-like bodies. Their wingspans can be twice as long as their body length, and the wings themselves are densely lined with intersecting veins. As a whole, their bodies are tough and robust, giving them excellent chances for survival, both as larvae and as adults. Stick insects are members of the one of the two insect families Phasmatidae and Phylliidae. ...

They can generally be found from late spring into the middle of summer, preferring to remain near bodies of water, particularly the ones from which they came, because their sole purpose once they emerge as adults is to mate, deposit their eggs near the water (often on overhanging vegetation), then die. They are primarily nocturnal, and like most aquatic insects, are commonly attracted to bright lights.

Image File history File links Dobson fly larvae File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

External links/Sources

• http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/dobsonfly.htm
• http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/slide/dobson.htm
• http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/bimg121.html
• http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Corydalus&contgroup=Corydalinae
• Dobson Fly page at "What's That Bug"
• Hellgrammite page at "What's That Bug"