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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies (Megaloptera) » Dobsonflies and Fishflies (Corydalidae) » Fishflies (Chauliodes)

Genus Chauliodes - Fishflies

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Fishfly exuvia - Chauliodes rastricornis - male

Appears to be changing into what? - Chauliodes

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Megaloptera (Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies)

Family Corydalidae (Dobsonflies and Fishflies)

Genus Chauliodes (Fishflies)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Chauliodes Latreille, 1796

Explanation of Names

Chauliodes is apparently a compound of Greek, chaulio, impressive/outstanding, plus Greek, odous, tooth (1) (2). The name is likely based on tooth-like projections on jaws of larvae:

Numbers

Arnett counts two species (3), and Nearctica.com identifies them as Chauliodes pectinicornis and Chauliodes rastricornis.

Identification

Brown. Similar to Dobsonfly (Corydalis) but pronotum is shaped differently, male jaws less prominent. Gray Fishflies (Neohermes) are similar but have bead-like (moniliform) antennae, not serrate or pectinate.

Two species may be separated as follows:(4)

Pronotum, head, adbominal mid-dorsal markings: C. rastricornis has dark markings on a light background, while C. pectinicornis has the reverse pattern of light yellow markings on a dark background.
Antennae: Both males and females of C. pectinicornis have pectinate (feather-like) antennae. Only males of C. rastricornis have pectinate antennae. Females have serrate (saw-like) antennae. This point was confused in the literature for quite some time.
In lateral view of male abdomen, anal plate is triangular in C. rastricornis, cylindrical in male C. pectinicornis.
Flight date: In much of range, C. rastrinicornis flies in spring, e.g., March-May in North Carolina. C. pectinicornis flies in summer, e.g., May-August in North Carolina. (5) Flight dates may overlap in deep south, Florida.

Range

Eastern North America.

Habitat

Found near slow-moving water, unlike Dobsonfly (Corydalis) which is found near running streams.

Season

Spring-summer

Food

Adults may not feed, though have been reported coming to moth "sugar". (5)

Life Cycle

Larvae aquatic, predatory, or detritivores?

See Also

Dobsonflies, Corydalus

Dark Fishflies, Nigronia

Gray Fishflies, Neohermes

Print References

The Century Dictionary(1) entry for Chauliodus, a genus of fish with "outstanding teeth or tusks"

Gordh (2)

Milne, p. 521, plate 329 gives some details on life history (6).

Brimley mentions flight dates in North Carolina (5).

Internet References

A Guide To The Megaloptera And Aquatic Neuroptera Of Florida (4) gives some life history for this genus, details on identification, references.

Aquatic Insects of Michigan gives a key to differentiate genus from others in family, and a key to distinguish the two species of Chauliodes.

Works Cited

1.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

2.	A Dictionary of Entomology By George Gordh, David H. Headrick

3.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico By Ross H. Arnett

4.	A Guide To The Megaloptera And Aquatic Neuroptera Of Florida

5.	Insects of North Carolina By C.S. Brimley

6.	National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders By Lorus and Margery Milne

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 3 May, 2004 - 3:49pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Robin McLeod
Last updated 19 May, 2009 - 1:11pm

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