Genus Corydalus - Dobsonflies

Classification · Other Common Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also

Female Dobsonfly - Corydalus cornutus - female

Large Strange Bug - Snake Fly? - Corydalus cornutus

Eastern Dobsonfly - Corydalus cornutus - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Megaloptera (Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies)

Family Corydalidae (Dobsonflies and Fishflies)

Genus Corydalus (Dobsonflies)

Other Common Names

Hellgrammites (the larvae)

Numbers

Nearctica.com lists three species for North America: cornutus, lutea, texana. The only eastern species is Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus.

Three other species apparently have very limited distribution in the US:

Corydalus luteus - South Texas

Corydalus texana - SW US west of the Rocky Mountains

Corydalus bidenticulatus - Arizona

Size

Up to 50 mm length

Identification

Huge, males have large pincers. Head flares out at neck, unlike fishflies, which taper out gradually.

Food

Larvae are predaceous

Life Cycle

Adults live only a few days.

Remarks

The large mandibles of the males are used to hold the females during mating. The females, with smaller jaws, can apparently bite quite effectively.

See Also

Dark Fishflies, Nigronia

Gray Fishflies, Neohermes

Fishflies, Chauliodes

Contributed by Cotinis on 15 July, 2004 - 3:01pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Chuck Entz
Last updated 16 February, 2009 - 6:05pm

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