Other Common Names
Dark fishfly (also applied to other species in the genus)
Serrate dark fishfly
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Synonyms: Say, 1824
Chauliodes serricornis, Neuromus maculatus, Hermes maculatus, Chauliodes maculatus.
Explanation of Names
Nigronia serricornis (Say 1824)
Identification
Wings: Dark brown with a narrow uneven white stripe across mid wing, not complete; or a very wide, bright white stripe without the dark spots on base half of stripe. Some white spots near wing tip. Hind wing dark brown with white spots near wing tips; no white stripe across middle of wing.
Range
e. NA (e. Canada to MB + 30 US states)
(1)(2)
Note: this is the only Nigronia in Canada.
Habitat
Shaded rocky streams with branches and logs.
Season
April to early July in the north; all season in the south.
Food
Larvae feed on larvae of Simulium, Cheumatopsyche, Hydropsyche, Chironomidae and can be cannibalistic.
Life Cycle
Females lay egg masses from May to early June on the underside of leaves and branches over-hanging streams. After hatching, larvae drop into the water. Larvae pupate on shore, under rocks, moss or in rotten wood. Life cycle is two to three years.
Remarks
Types:
Types as Chauliodes serricornis by Say, 1924. Type Localities: Arkansas; Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ontario, Saskatchewan. Types lost.
Holotype as Neuromus maculatus female by Rambur, 1842. Type Locality: unknown. In Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, in Seley Longchamps collection, Brussels, Belgium.
Holotype as Hermes maculatus female by Walker, 1853. Type Locality: North America. In British Museum of Natural History, London, England.
Holotype as Chauliodes maculatus male by Hagen, 1862. Type Locality: Philadelphia, Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland. Museum unknown.
See Also
Similar Species: Nigronia fasciatus stripe across wings has speckling of brown spots along base half. Hind wings have white stripe across middle of wing.
Print References
Major Long’s Second Expedition. Narrative of an Expedition to the source of St. Peter’s River, Lake Winnepeek, Lake of the Woods, 1924 by Say, pp. 307-308.
Histoire Naturelle des Insectes Neuropteres, 1843 by Rambur, pg. 442.
Catalogue of Specimens of Neuropterous Insects British Museum, 1852, Pt. 1 &2 by Walker, pg. 202.
Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1862, Vol. 4: Synopsis of Neuroptera of North America, by Herman Hagen, pg. 190-191,
New York State Museum, 1903, Bulletin #68 by Davis, pp. 455 to 460.
Collections Zoologiques, 1910 Fascicle 5: Megaloptera by Weele, et al., pg. 71.
Ohio State University, 1960: Revision Chauliodes and Nigronia Thesis by Hazard, pp. 21 to 22.
Entomological News, 1965, Vol. 76, pp. 192 to 194 by Cuyler.
Entomological News, 1997, Vol. 88 #3 & 4 by Tarter et al., pp. 69.
Zootaxa, 2019, #819: Megaloptera of Canada by Xingyue Liu – List of species table. Only Nigronia serricornis present in Canada.
