Big, Black, Shiny Bug
Tue, May 26, 2009 at 10:11 AM
We saw a number of these bugs by a river on the CT/MA border after a rainstorm in late May. They didn’t hesitate at puddles, but swam straight across and walked out on the other side. They were about 3 1/2 inches long, black, shiny, and had spines. They didn’t seem to be aggressive. What are they?
Sandi
Massachusetts
Hellgrammite
Hi Sandi,
This is a Hellgrammite, the larval form of the fierce looking but harmless Dobsonfly. Hellgrammites are considered to be one of the choicest baits by many fishermen. We just recently posted another photo of a Hellgrammite in its subterranean burrow.
Ha! We thought they had a Dobsonfly like shape! Thank you! Our curiosity is satisfied…until next time!
blessings!!! Sandi
Hellgramite in a hole
Sat, May 23, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Hello. My husband and I had a truck full of screened loam delivered for projects around the yard and it appears to be loaded with hellgramites! I looked at the hellgramite photos on your website and didn’t see any of them in their “natural habitat” (basically a hole in the ground), so I thought you might like this one. This one had burrowed into the ground under a brick that was holding a tarp down to keep the loam dry.
Funny thing… we actually learned about hellgramites and Dobson flies a few of years ago from this website. Shortly after our move to our house along a small river in New Hampshire, we saw our first crazy, prehistoric-looking hellgramite on our driveway. We don’t typically notice that many of them, maybe a couple of hellgramites and Dobson flies a year, but we have seen dozens of them over the past few days as we have been shoveling and raking the dirt.
PGF in NH
Southern NH, Monadnock Region
Hellgrammite in a hole
Dear PGF,
We are happy to be going strong and continuing to serve the curious after all these years. We are greatly appreciative to be able to post your wonderful photo of a Hellgrammite in its hole.
winged insect with huge mandibles
Sat, May 23, 2009 at 6:40 AM
My husband and son caught this last night, and we can’t seem to figure out what it is. It looks kind of scary! They caught it in a butterfly net and the thing chewed through the netting while we were searching for a container. It is about 2.5 – 3 inches in length, it has see through wings, and is primarily gray and brown. Like mentioned earlier it has huge mandibles. Looking closely, it almost looks as if it actually has 2 sets. A very large set for grabbing and another smaller set inside those for chewing (??) Its head is kind of flat with its eyes on the sides. Thanks for your help!!
Mom26superguys
Central Texas
Female Dobsonfly
Dear Mom26superguys,
Your intimidating insect is a female Dobsonfly. The male Dobsonfly has much more impressive mandibles, but it is the female whose mouth can bite and chew. The trophy jaws of the male Dobsonfly are used in the mating ritual.
¶ Posted 23 May 2009 § ‡ ° WHAT IS THIS CREATURE??
Mon, Jul 9, 2007 at 6:59 AM
Dear Bug-Guys,
I saw this creature outside my job today. I work in Jamaica, Queens, NY — I
have never seen this bug anywhere before – EVER! I didn’t even try to google
it or anything — I just turned to you guys.
Its about 4″ long, with large wings covering its body up to its head. Its
got two bulging eyes that were looking right at me while I was taking its
picture. Let me tell you it knew I was there and it didn’t look happy! I
think it was hurt because it didn’t attack or fly away — it just kept
circling around to look at us. Its got two antennae and two very large
pincers near its jaws.
Please help identify this thing.
Oh, and just so you know, we didn’t kill it. My coworker and I got it to
climb onto a stick and we moved it off the sidewalk and onto a grassy patch
by the LIRR train station so it’d be safe. Thought you’d appreciate that.
Have a good one,
Pete from Brooklyn
Male Dobsonfly
Hi Pete,
Actually, from May through July, this is one of our most common identification requests. This is a male Dobsonfly, a perfectly harmless creature. The female Dobsonfly has much smaller, but considerably more formidable mandibles. The big mystery for us is why your email from nearly two years ago just entered our inbox today.
¶ Posted 30 April 2009 § ‡ ° A huge insect from North-East India
Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 10:08 PM
Hi! This 14 cm long creature was calmly resting at the verandah of our hotel in Shillong, Meghalaya state (North-East India). Apparently he came attracted by very bright lights at night. He stayed at the same spot overnight, lazily responding to our attention with very slow motions of his head. In the morning, we took a piece of paper and managed to make him move and step on it, so that we could put him under a tree in the pine-tree forest which’s around. Half an hour later he was still there, but looked more jovial and was climbing over some grass.
Tatiana
Shillong, Meghalaya state; altitude: 1800 m.
Dobsonfly
Hi Tatiana,
Wow!!!! That is an impressive Dobsonfly. Beginning in May and continuing for a few months, We get reports of smaller Dobsonflies from North America. We have also had Central and South American specimens submitted to our site, but to the best of our recollection, this is the only Asian submission. Dobsonflies are impressive insects. Your specimen is a male, as evidenced by his greatly developed mandibles. The female Dobsonfly, though her mandibles are not as impressive, is a more adept biter, and she will bite if threatened, but all that will result is a pinching sensation. The insect is quite harmless. The aquatic larval stage is known as a Hellgrammite. According to the New World Encyclodedia online, there are numerous species in India, and we cannot provide you with an exact species name.
Dobsonfly
¶ Posted 08 April 2009 § ‡ ° sci-fi insect monster
Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 11:00 AM
We just found this bug in the southeastern part of Brazil, just outside of Sao Paulo city. It was about five inches long (including those huge pincers). It entered the house late at night flying around, and looked like it had two sets of wings. It can bend the top part of its body backwards to use those pincers. Can you tell us what it is?
Creeped out in Brazil
Juquitiba, SP, Brazil
Male Dobsonfly
Dear Creeped Out,
This is a male Dobsonfly. Though those mandibles look quite formidable, he is actually quite harmless. The female Dobsonfly has much less impressive mandibles, yet she can and will bite a hapless human, but since she has no venom, she too is harmless. We have read that the male Dobsonfly uses his pincers in the mating process, and we eagerly long for proof of this in a photograph.
¶ Posted 27 November 2008 § ‡ ° a creature for sure!
Found this on the steps of my hotel in Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica! This looks like one of those dobson flies…i got a picture with the wings flapping too!
It was atleast 6 inches!~
scared!
Arenal, Costa Rica
Male Dobsonfly in threat Position in Costa Rica
Hi Scared,
Don’t be afraid. Male Dobsonflies are quite harmless despite the sabre like mandibles and threat posture. The female Dobsonfly has more modest mandibles, but hers can produce a nipping bite. The male uses his trophey mandibles during the mating process, or so we have read, but we have never been lucky enough to have a photo of a mating pair to proove this statement.
¶ Posted 28 September 2008 § ‡ ° We found this in Merrill, Wisconsin over the Fourth of July weekend. I had a man at a wilderness conservation place look at it and he couldn’t even point me to anything close to what exactly it is. Unique little guy. It was neat to watch his scary mouth open the closer you got to him. We kept him for a little bit but then sent back out into nature. No harm done.
Michele
Merrill Wisconsin
Hi Merrill,
Over the years, we have received countless images of Dobsonflies, and many were quite interesting, but we have never seen a crazier image of a male Dobsonfly than yours. This image is priceless.
¶ Posted 29 August 2008 § ‡ ° 
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