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Dobsonfly from Peru
(05/13/2008) Peruvian insect
We saw some dozens of flying insects beating against the window
of our hotel in Agua Caliente, at the foot of Machu Picchu,
Peru. The one attached was no longer working and was about
5cm long. This resembles nothing we know in the UK and I wonder
whether you can identify it. Thanks
Peter Seamer
Hi Peter,
This is a male Dobsonfly. Very soon now, in the late spring
and early summer, we expect to begin getting Dobsonfly submissions
from the eastern U.S. At that time of year, it is one of our
most common submissions.
First Dobsonfly of the Year!!!
(04/13/2008) Bug at work..
This bug was found in a crate at work. It was dead and there
was this only one. This is the only picture I got of it, i
hope that it helps. thanks
maria
Hi Maria,
Your photo is not the best quality, but it is significant
since it is the first photo we have received this year of
a Dobsonfly. This is a male. You can tell by his large mandibles.
Just yesterday we received a photo of a Hellgrammite, the
immature Dobsonfly.
Fishfly
(01/17/2008)
hi this bug is about 2 or 3 inches long i have know
clue what it is hopefully you can help. i seen it at our camp
site in Oakham Mass. thank you
cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
This is a Fishfly, and we are guessing it wasn't seen this
week.
Male Dobsonfly
(10/13/2007) unknown critter
This beauty was flying around at night in the country near
Raleigh Durham, N.C. My 6 year old is an insect fanatic and
spent the morning with it. We refer to her as "the bug
whisperer". Checked your site under moths, but found
nothing similar. Alexandra would love to know what it is.
Christopher Capps
Medinah,Il
Hi Christopher and Alexandra,
This is a male Dobsonfly. We haven't posted an image of a
Dobsonfly since late August. The male, despite his formidable
mandibles, is quite harmless. The female, whose mandibles
are more functional, might nip if provoked, be she too is
harmless. The larvae, known as Hellgrammites, are a favorite
bait of fishermen. The butterfly on the t-shirt is a very
nice touch. We are sure this image will horrify some visitors
to our site.
Dobsonfly
(08/29/2007)
Any idea what this is?? Never seen this before in Townsend
Massachusetts. Thx,
Erik
Hi Erik,
This is a male Dobsonfly.
Male Dobsonfly
(08/19/2007) Corydalus texanus?
Thought you might like this picture. We took it in Fredericksburg,
Texas around midnight.
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
While Corydalus is the genus for the Dobsonfly, we are not
sure how to distinguish the species. The Eastern Dobsonfly
is Corydalus cornutus. Your photo is magnificent.
Female
Dobsonfly eats Blueberries and lays Eggs
(08/02/2007) Blueberries for Bailey
Hi, and thanks for such a wonderful website! Thanks
to your site we were able to identify our dobsonfly.
My boys named her Bailey. We'd also like to confirm
that adult females do eat. I read they liked blackberries
but having none I substitued blueberries and she does indeed
like them. I have video of her mouthparts working the
blueberry. She lives in this cage but freely comes and
goes at will as the top of the cage is open. Our question
is has she laid eggs? There is a frothy
looking white patch in the third picture. Thanks a billion
bugs!
Mary, Cal, and Cade
P.S. If these pics are too big I can resize them.
I wasn't sure what works best for you.
 
Hi Mary, Cal and Cade,
This is an exciting submission for us. We have always believed
that adult Dobsonflies do not eat. We will see what Eric Eaton
has to say about the blueberry diet. Additionally, we do believe
Bailey has laid eggs. The Featured
Creatures website states: "Eggs : Dobsonfly eggs are gray,
cylindrical and a little less than 1.5 mm in length and 0.5
mm in width. They are laid in clusters (about 2 cm in diameter)
with an average of approximately 1,000 eggs/cluster (Baker
and Neunzig 1968, Mangan 1992.). The eggs are arranged in
three layers, and the egg mass is covered with a clear fluid
by a brushing motion of the tip of the female's abdomen. The
clear fluid dries to a white color. Superficially, the egg
masses resemble large bird droppings. " That seems like an
accurate description of what your photo depicts.
Male Dobsonfly
(07/28/2007) bug picture
Dear Bugman,
thanks so much for this site! This very strange bug was on
a neighboring tent at an art fair in Waterville, Maine, today
and all day long NO ONE could identify it. Some said it was
a Stone fly, but I searched and searched and none of them
was like it. So then I searched on "flies with pincers"
and found your site, and another picture of this guy was on
top of your page! I am emailing this photo with the
ruler next to it because it's such a good one. THANKS!
Pam Ellis,
Rangeley, Maine
Hi Pam,
Thanks for sending us your great photo of a male Dobsonfly.
Female Dobsonfly: Forced Perspective
(07/13/2007) Scared the heck outa my kids
My kids found this creature on the back porch of my home
and thought we were being invaded by aliens. I was able
to get several good photos and thought you might like to see
them. I found it on your site and believe it to be a
female Dobsonfly. You have a wonderful website
and I use it often. Thanks,
Matt O.
Hi Matt,
This awesome photo is probably not going to help many of our
readers identify a female Dobsonfly, but we love the way the
forced perspective makes her appear to be 20 feet long rather
than 3 inches, which is still very big for an insect. She
may nip with those scary looking mandibles, but she is not
dangerous.
Male Dobsonfly
(07/07/2007) Can you tell me...
What kind of insect this is? I took this photo today
outside my apartment building. Thank you
Diane
Hi Diane,
This is a male Dobsonfly. We keep an image of a Dobsonfly
on our homepage all summer, but the current photo is pretty
far down and requires that our readership actually knows how
to scroll down a page.
Hellgrammite
(07/01/2007) Hellgramite
Hello again, Bugman!
I found this beauty today. My first hellgramite, and
about three inches long. It was in a pupal chamber in
sandy soil, under an overturned card table near the Missouri
River. It copped an attitude pretty fast when I tipped
the table up (I was hoping for a snake!). Anyway, I
noticed you didn't have any hellgramite photos on the page.
I'm sorry the lighting is so bad. I decided to put it
in a bowl of water for one shot, to get some of the sand off.
I think I'll let him go tomorrow. Thank you,
Emily
Hi Emily,
Long, long ago when we set up our website, we created separate
pages for the larval Hellgrammites and the adult Dobsonflies.
You can find other Hellgrammite images
on their own page.
Male
Dobsonfly
(06/26/2007) male dobson fly
Hi there,
I believe this is a picture of a male dobson fly... we found
him by the Allegheny River in Warren, PA. Thanks for
the great website, very informative!!
Melissa
 
Hi Melissa,
What an absolutely gorgeous specimen of a male Dobsonfly you
have photographed. He is a trophey specimen for sure. Eric
Eaton provided this observation: "The male dobsonfly has emerged
so recently that his wings are not yet dry and his pigment
not fully expressed, as evidenced by his white jaws. Eric"
Fishfly
(06/23/2007) Unidentified critter
Hi,
I was just introduced to your great site by my son: until
now he has been my resource for these things, based on one
course back in high school. I have been getting into macrophotography
over the past year, and have become amazed at the diversity
of insects and spiders the right here in suburban Boston
area. At my son's suggestion, I have started using a blacklight
to bring out more in the evening. This fellow had a body length
of 1.5 to 2 inches (4-5 cm), was a weak flyer, just sort of
fluttering around. ... Thanks for any help!
Mike
Hi Mike,
This is a Fishfly. Fishflies from the genus Chauliodes can
be distinguised from their close relatives, the Dobsonflies,
because Fishflies have feathered antennae. BugGuide
has much information on Fishflies.
Male Dobsonfly
(06/20/2007) Can you tell me what kind of bug this is?
My son is like a bug "magnet." He finds the most
interesting bugs and it almost seems like he attracts them.
Today, he found the bug in these photos. I have NEVER seen
anything like it, nor have I ever seen anything this big in
Vermont. Can you tell me what this is? Thanks!
Erika Martin
Hi Erika,
First, we have an especial fondness for posting insect pictures
that would never be found in traditional identification guides,
and this is one of the most amusing. We can only imagine what
hallucination your son thought he was having after the conspicuous
consumption that the photograph evidences. This is a harmless
male Dobsonfly.
Female
Dobsonfly
(06/20/2007) Dobson Fly
I saw this critter outside my apartment in Ann Arbor, MI tonight.
I have lived in Michigan for 22 years and have never
seen this before. Though I recently moved to Ann Arbor
from near Detroit. There are a lot more trees and rivers
here. There is about an 8 foot wide stream about 100
feet from my front door so I assume that is where they live.
I saw all the photos but this once seems to have good detail
of the wings if you want to use it. It took ten tries
to get a clear picture at night.
Frank
Hi Frank,
The female Dobsonfly can be identified by her far less impressive,
but considerably more formidable mandibles.
Dobsonfly
(06/16/2006) 5 inches long with wings, and maybe pinchers??
We found this on the top of our garage. It's about 5 inches
long, kind of reminds me of a cicada(sp?) but is bigger than
those I've seen ... and looks like it has pinchers of some
kind. I didn't see one on your site and was wondering if you
know what it is? I know you're very busy but if it fits in
your schedule, we'd love some help identifying it. Thank you,,
Hilary Evans
Hi Hilary,
We are very surprised that we haven't gotten more requests
this year for Dobsonflies. June and July are generally our
peak months for sightings. Male Dobsonflies have those signature
mandibles that make it virtually impossible to confuse this
species to any other.
Female
Dobsonfly
(06/16/2007) Dobsonfly pictures
Hi!
Found this bug in Llano, Texas by the Llano River. Snatched
her off of a tree for a photo op. Wikipedia says females have
a noxious spray that they release when provoked, but I didn't
get sprayed. Love your site and your humorous replies.
Jay Rascoe
Houston, TX
 
Hi Jay,
We really appreciate your photos of a female Dobsonfly since
we just commented that we haven't received many reports of
Dobsonflies this year. We have also heard that the females
release a noxious odor from another contributor.
Male Dobsonfly
(06/06/2007) Big nasty bug
Hey,
I know that this is a dobsonfly, I just thought it was unusually
large. Maybe you could use it as a picture on your website
Thanks
Mindy
Hi Mindy,
This is the first male Dobsonfly image we have received this
year. We wish you had told us where this occurred.
Female
Dobsonfly
(05/16/2007)
Hi,
I live in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and have only seen
this bug once on our farm but have always wondered what it
was. It was about 5 inches long. Thanks!
Loren Dearborn
If you think she was big, wait until you see a male Dobsonfly.
Female Dobsonfly: First of the year
(05/09/2007) Caddisfly or Stonefly?
Hi Bugman,
I am a huge fan of bugs, and fully recognize their place in
the world. My brothers were visiting family in Nova Scotia,
Canada, and this bug attached itself to my brothers shoe.
After searching around your page for a while I came up with
two possibilities for identification, Caddisfly or Stonefly.....can
you confirm if I'm right or not? Thanks so much!
Marissa
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Hi Marissa,
This is a female Dobsonfly, and our first submission of the
year. Dobsonflies appear in May and June, though sightings
do continue into the summer.
Female
Dobsonfly
(12/27/2006) fishfly?
Dear Bugman,
I found this sizeable insect last April while on vacation
in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. I was searching female dobsonfly
sites, but the wing veination wasn't quite right. Then I came
to your site, and it seems to more closely resemble fishflies.
Your thoughts? Thank you.
Dave Spier
Hi Dave,
Dobsonflies and Fishflies are both in the Family Corydalidae.
Fishflies have antennae with soft comblike projections on
one side. Dobsonflies do not. We believe this to be a female
Dobsonfly.
Female
Dobsonfly
(11/14/2006) Please help us identify
Attached are three pictures of an insect me and a buddy saw
while on a mountain biking trip in Northeast Georgia (Helen).
We have no clue and have never seen something like this before.
Can you please help us identify. Very much appreciate.
Jonathan McLandrich
 
Hi Jonathan,
This is a female Dobsonfly. The larvae are prized bait for
fishermen and are called Hellgramites. The adults are short
lived and do not feed. We get most of our identification requests
from May through July, so your specimen is either very early
or very late.
Thank you. The pictures are from late July so it fits within
your given time frame. Thanks again.
Jonathan McLandrich
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