Moth or ??
August 19, 2009
I found this moth like buy in front of my garage door under where the hallogen light is. Usually I find many lunar moths there but found this today. Approx 3 inches long, narrow moth like bug. Pinchers on the front and antenae above the pinchers.
Do you have any idea what it is? I have searched some moth web sites etc,,,,but cannot find anything similar.
Thanks
Deb
Central Maine USA
Male Dobsonfly
Hi Deb,
Now that you know that this is a male Dobsonfly, you should be able to locate a wealth of online information. Female Dobsonflies have much smaller mandibles. Since we just finished posting some marvelous images of a female Dobsonfly from Peru, we feel compelled to post your photo as well.
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Posted 19 August 2009
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Winged bug on our yard
August 19, 2009
This morning my boys found this winged bug crawling on the grass. We know it must fly because of it’s wings, but it has just been crawling around. We found it in the morning just after the sun came into the yard. It appears to have pincers on its head and rears up when we get near it. Any help would be great! Thanks!
Stacey
Abancay, Peru (Andes mtns-approx 8,000ft)
Dobsonfly from Peru
Hi Stacey,
If you run into our co-workers from LACC, two hot American college professors named Sharon and Naima who are vacationing in the Andes, please say “hola” for us. This is an awesome looking Dobsonfly in the family Corydalidae, but we haven’t a clue what species it is. We suspect it is a female Dobsonfly as males have much more formidable mandibles.
Dobsonfly from Peru
Your photos are all so dramatic, we are going to post all three.
Dobsonfly from Peru
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Posted 19 August 2009
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Weird bug with wings
August 13, 2009
This bug was found in the corner of an outside window . We tried to make it fly away and it did not. It has long wings and the strange looking head and feelers. Just would like to know what it is. Out of four of us, none of us had ever seen such a bug.
Wanda
Walling, TN
Male Dobsonfly: What exactly does he do with those mandibles???
Hi Wanda,
He is big. He is scary and he is perfectly harmless. He is a male Dobsonfly. From all we have read, those impressive mandibles are used somehow in the mating process. We have read that they are used by males to compete for the attention of females, perhaps in battle, and we have also heard that the male uses them to subdue the female during copulation. All this is just hearsay and one photo would say it all. Doesn’t anyone have a photo that demonstrates just why a male Dobsonfly needs those impressive mandibles? The female Dobsonfly, with her much smaller though more functional mandibles, might deliver a pinch if she is carelessly handled, but she too is harmless.
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Posted 14 August 2009
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What’s this bug I found?
August 9, 2009
I found this bug in my tool box at work. It was a very week flyer. I placed the corner of a newspaper near its mouth and it bit into it. The jaws were like a big ant.
Scott A. E. (ed. note: surname withheld to prevent positive identification and potential public ridicule)
Niagara Falls, NY
Summer Fishfly Impaled
Dear Scott,
This is a Summer Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis. According to BugGuide, the species name pectinicornis means comb-horned and refers to the antennae which are quite different from the similar looking though considerably larger Dobsonfly. We doubt that you are beginning an insect collection as the object that has impaled this Summer Fishfly does not appear to be an entomologist specimen pin. This is speculation on our part, but we suspect this living Summer Fishfly was impaled to keep if from escaping so that it could be photographed, and it might have still been alive when the photo was taken. In our minds (and perhaps also the minds of some of our readership) this would constitute Unnecessary Carnage. We have taken the liberty of editing your surname from our posting in the event that friends and acquaintances of yours happen to read this posting since we are being careful about defamation of character. Other than to say that the jaws of the Summer Fishfly bit into a newspaper, you did not indicate that you were threatened by it, and since Summer Fishflies are perfectly harmless, we feel that there was no need to kill this insect.
The Doombug
August 3, 2009
I work at a summer camp in eastern Nebraska near the Platte river. One morning one of the counselors discovered this on their front porch. None of us have any idea what it is, but we labeled it “The Doombug”. It was a little over two inches long (and completely terrifying to behold, if you ask me). Any ideas on what this thing is?
Christina
Eastern Nebraska
Male Dobsonfly
Hi Christina,
Doombug is far took bleak of a name for this spectacular male Dobsonfly, a harmless species despite its fierce appearance.
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Posted 03 August 2009
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Spiral antennae, brown body, yellow fangs, half inch tall
July 31, 2009
I was outside playing with my kids and happened to glance over at my husband’s truck and saw this bug. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life and I’m very curious to know what it is. I’m not going to lie, I was very afraid to get too close so I am hoping that my picture is clear enough to see details. The bug is probably a half an inch tall, brown with some yellow, and appears to have a hard shell.
Stephanie
Syracuse, New York
Summer Fishfly: Disembodied Head
Hi Stephanie,
This is the disembodied head of a Summer Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis, which may be matched to an image on BugGuide. The form of the pectinate antennae indicate that this was a male Summer Fishfly. How it was disembodied is a curious question, and we suspect a predator like a bird or bat made a snack of the nutritious body. Summer Fishflies have long bodies and an impressive wingspan. What you saw only represents about 15% to 20% of the entire insect length.
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Posted 02 August 2009
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Would like help identifiying this insect
July 27, 2009
My husband took these photos in early to mid June on the side of our garage. He said this critter seemed very interested in the wasps nest that was up under the overhang. I have never seen such a thing and out there, i have seen some crazy looking “bugs”. There are cornfields nearby and a small spring fed creek on the property (however, its 150 yds from where this was taken)
Ann Matlock
Central Indiana, USA
Dobsonfly
Hi Ann,
We just finished posting an image of a California Dobsonfly, and our response mentioned the eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus, and then we opened your letter, only to find an example. Your photos are of a formidable looking but harmless male Dobsonfly. Dobsonfly larvae known as Hellgrammites are aquatic and are prized by fisherman.
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Posted 28 July 2009
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Unknown Bug From San Diego County
July 28, 2009
Found this Bug on the side of a shaded rock adjacent to perrenial creek with a really low water flow. Found it during the day on July 20. When I approached it to photograph it it did not move away at all.
Frank Santana
Boulder Creek, San Diego California
California Dobsonfly
Hi Frank,
Our reference book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin by Charles Hogue, identifies this as a California Dobsonfly, Neohermes californicus. This is a distinct genus from the eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus, which is a much larger insect and can be viewed on our site as well as on BugGuide. Your specimen is classified on BugGuide as a Gray Fishfly in the genus Neohermes, but there is no page devoted to Neohermes californicus. There is an acknowledgment on the genus page that the species Neohermes californicus is known as the California Dobsonfly. We provide this background information because when we did a web search of California Dobsonfly, we found some wonderful images on BugGuide that referenced out own website as a source. Interestingly, those photos from El Dorado County in northern California were taken the same day as your photo. Since it is not terribly professional to cite oneself when doing research, we wanted more assurance that we could properly identify your impressive creature. So, for clarification, your insect is Neohermes californicus, a Gray Fishfly sometimes called the California Dobsonfly.
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Posted 28 July 2009
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Bug ID Help
July 20, 2009
Dear What’s that Bug,
We found this bug near the Apple River last Saturday while photographing a wedding party. None of us had seen anything like it. Can you identify it for us?
Don’t worry, the bug was not harmed and we released it to go on his/her merry way after the photos were taken.
Sincerely,
Curious Photographer
Star Prairie, WI
Male Dobsonfly
Male Dobsonfly
Thanks for the ID…it does look like this but I was confused because this one was so big…I would say the body was 5-6 inches long and close to 8 inches long with the wings…
Dear Curious Photographer,
Sometimes in an attempt to respond to as many requests as possible, we just provide a name. Now that we have more time, we have decided to post your letter. We love the formal attire of the gentleman in the photo, but we wish the resolution was higher.
I can send you a higher rrsolution photo during my lunch if you would like 
Tue, 21 Jul 2009
Here is the higher resolution image…
Male Dobsonfly
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Posted 21 July 2009
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Dobsonfly in my garage?
July 20, 2009
I found this 3″ insect in the middle of my garage floor one evening, in a heavily wooded area of southeastern Pennsylvania, near a pond/creek. How it got there will remain a mystery, however I believe someone here can at least clear up the identity of the deceased, may it R.I.P.
From perusing your great site, I decided it most looks like a female dobsonfly, however I would like confirmation on that. It has been “bugging” me not to know for sure.
So that I don’t get nominated for a nasty reader award, I will say that I found it in this exact condition; dead, with missing body parts. 
Many thanks from Barto, PA
Heavily wooded area of Southeastern PA, near a creek
Dobsonfly: Dead from unknown causes
Dear Barto,
You are correct. This is a female Dobsonfly. For the record, people who kill insects out of fear or ignorance do not become Nasty Readers, though they will wind up on the Unnecessary Carnage page in our attempt to educate the public as to what need not be killed. Only when readers “attack” us in words and insult us do they become nasty readers. Your photo will simply go in the Dobsonfly archives since you had nothing to do with her death.
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Posted 20 July 2009
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Looks like a Fish Fly
July 20, 2009
Hello bugman. I have briefly looked at your dobson fly and fish fly images and am leaning towards the fish fly for the specimen (of many around my home) that I have photographed. Although this one is missing one of his antennae, the remaining antennae somewhat reveals the absence of the feather like protrusions on one side which is said to be one of the defining characteristics of the Fish Fly. As well, the absence of any distinctive mandibles seems to discredit the possibility of a Dobson Fly. Sooo, did one of these critters from each family get together one night and have a party, and this is the result?
thanks for any info.
Shrew
Nova Scotia, Canada
Dark Fish Fly
Hi Shrew,
This is a Fish Fly, more specifically, a Dark Fish Fly, in the genus Nigronia which we located on BugGuide. Dobsonflies, Fishflies and Dark Fishflies are in the same family, Corydalidae, but in different genera. This is how BugGuide identifies the differences between the two species: “Wings with large white areas more or less continuous, especially across the middle; anal area of hindwing white; male antennae modified pectinate; female antennae serrate—Nigronia fasciatus Wings with white spots isolated often associated with crossveins; anal area of hindwing brown; male and female antennae serrate— Nigronia serricornis“. We would lean more towards Nigronia serricornis. This is the first Dark Fish Fly we have received and we are thrilled to add it to our archives.
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Posted 20 July 2009
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Flying Ant Demon! With a Stinger.
July 12, 2009
About 2-2 1/2 inches long, 1/2 inch long pinchers. Antennas on head felt like needles. Obviously could fly. 6 legs, stinger on tail size of head. about all i know, my friends uncle put a screw in it because it scared him i think!
Ryan Darveaux
Arrington, KS
Dobsonfly Gets Screwed
Ryan,
This goes way way beyond Unnecessary Carnage. It actually borders on medieval torture. This poor male Dobsonfly was perfectly harmless, and now it is dead.
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