Explanation of Names
The specific name, "pectinicornis", means "comb-horned". The common name was coined based on typical seasonal occurrence in the east, in contrast with the "Spring Fishfly", C. rastricornis.
Size
21-46mm body length (not including wings).
Identification
Both sexes have
pectinate antennae. Flies, probably, more in mid to late summer than the more spring-flying C. rastricornis. Head and
pronotum have yellow markings on dark brown background, compared to dark markings on yellowish background in C. rastricornis. See
A Guide To The Megaloptera And Aquatic Neuroptera Of Florida.
(1)Range
Eastern and central North America, including southern Canada
Habitat
Near ponds, lakes, quiet parts of streams. (Contrast this with Dobsonflies, which inhabit streams as larvae.) Adults come to lights.
Season
Typically Summer: May-August (North Carolina), June-July (West Virginia). Further south, spring and summer (Florida).
Food
Adults may take some plant juices, since they come to "sugar", i.e., moth bait, according to Brimley.
(2)Life Cycle
Larvae aquatic, omnivorous: detritivores, or herbivores, also predatory on other invertebrates. Larvae tend to live in calm bodies of water with lots of detritus. Larvae leave the water to pupate under bark, inside rotting logs. Pupation takes approximately 10 days. Adults emerge to mate, live perhaps a week. There appears to be just one flight per year, and the life cycle may be just one year, though older references quote a 2-3 year life cycle. Eggs are laid in masses on vegetation near still bodies of water. Larvae hatch and crawl to water.
See Also
Chauliodes rastricornis--usually flies in spring, note difference in markings
Contributed by
Cotinis on 12 November, 2004 - 1:50pm
Last updated 19 May, 2009 - 12:29pm
