Majave River
Location: Mojave River, Southern Califorina
July 4, 2011 3:40 pm
We were at the Mojave River and saw this bug in the water. It kinda looks like a larva of some sort, but in all honesty i have no idea what it is and was hoping you would be able to identify it for us.
Thanks for your time
Signature: The Green Family
Hellgrammite
Dear Green Family,
This is the larva of a Dobsonfly, commonly called a Hellgrammite. Most of our specimens are of the Eastern Dobsonfly, though several species are known to range in California, however they are not well documented. This is one of the Western Dobsonflies. See BugGuide for additional information.
I like This
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination
Location: California
I used to love looking for these in the ditch when I was a kid (I lived in a very rural marshy area in VT) but I never knew they were Dobsonfly larvae! I did know they were called Hellgrammites though. Glad to know more about them almost 20 years later