rss Big Ugly Bug
Location: Central Missouri
July 12, 2011 8:00 pm
What is this thing??
Signature: Harrah
Dobsonfly
Hi Harrah,
Many people would disagree with you that this male Dobsonfly is an ugly bug. Dobsonflies are among our most frequent summer identification requests. We are post dating this letter to go live over the weekend while we are out of the office.
looks like a Hollywood creation…
Location: Maryland
July 10, 2011 8:37 pm
Found July 10th in Maryland, USA.
Signature: BK
Female Dobsonfly
Hi BK,
Hollywood frequently turns to nature for inspiration, and we have no doubts that characteristics of this female Dobsonfly, and those of her sexually dimorphic mate, have inspired some science fiction creation.
Dobson fly?
Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
July 9, 2011 3:16 am
I noticed this bug hanging on the curtains on my back porch about 7pm July 5th. I saw photos of dobson flies on your site and am wondering if this is one. It’s the 1st insect like it I’ve ever seen here in New Mexico, or anywhere else!
Signature: Ember
Western Dobsonfly
Hi Ember,
You are correct. This is a female Dobsonfly, but we don’t believe it is the most commonly reported species, Corydalus cornutus, the Eastern Dobsonfly, which BugGuide only reports as far west as Texas despite the hundreds of submissions they have received. We researched your city, Rio Rancho, and we learned it is in northwest New Mexico, far from Texas. The genus page on BugGuide has this information regarding the range of Dobsonflies: “The only eastern species is Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus. Three other species apparently have very limited distribution in North America: Corydalus luteus – South Texas, Corydalus texanus – SW US west of the Rocky Mountains, Corydalus bidenticulatus – Arizona. Genus is restricted to the New World–other species in Central and South America (Contreras-Ramos, 1997).” We will go out on a limb and identify this as one of the western species, however, we don’t have a conclusive species identification.
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.
Tattooed Bug?
Location: South Texas Hill country
July 3, 2011 2:26 pm
My husband found this creature on the underside of a rock in the Guadalupe River this summer. We had never seen anything quite like it and our kids think it looks like it has been tattooed. It is about 3 inches long.
Signature: The Walling Family
Hellgrammite
Dear Walling Family,
This incredible creature is called a Hellgrammite, and it is the larval form of the Dobsonfly.
4.5” Long flying bug with large pincers
Location: Enola, PA
June 30, 2011 7:15 pm
I found this beauty on my shed door after mowing my yard on June 25th. I’m in central PA. I’ve lived here 11 years and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I got very close to it and it kept turning it’s head to look at me when I was photographing it, but never attempted to flee or bite.
Signature: Gary Manis
Male Dobsonfly
Dear Gary,
We knew what insect you wanted identified by your subject line before even viewing the photos. Dobsonflies are one of our most frequently asked summer identification requests. This beauty is a male who may be distinguished by the mandibles. We wonder what injury resulted in the broken right mandible.
Male Dobsonfly
Ed. NOte: Summer Sightings
With summer here, we expect to be getting numerous identification requests for Dobsonflies. We thought this posting showing a beautiful male and female Dobsonfly from two different areas will help our readership identify this distinctive creature.
Identify bug
Location: Asheville NC
June 21, 2011 8:11 am
We saw this in Asheville NC on June 20. It was 3 – 4 inches long and on a fence post.
Signature: SCBrit
Male Dobsonfly
Please Identify our bug
Location: N. Ky.
June 21, 2011 10:32 am
This insect was found up inside of our umbrella. The body portion of the bug is almost as long as my pinky finger. This pic was taken in N. Kentucky, today, June 21, 2011. I have lived in Ky. my whole life and I cannot say that I have ever seen this before.
Signature: Marlene Shoemaker and kids
Female Dobsonfly
Dobsonflies are fascinating insects that display pronounced sexual dimorphism. The larger male also has significantly larger and differently shaped mandibles. Larval Dobsonflies are known as Hellgrammites.
What bug is this?
Location: Virginia
June 19, 2011 9:27 am
My friend showed me this bug that was on her deck.
Signature: Dylan D
Male Dobsonfly
Dear Dylan,
Each year around this time, our mailbox is flooded with requests to identify Dobsonflies. Your individual is a male, as evidenced by his incredible mandibles, which are allegedly used during the mating process. We have been waiting for years for an image of mating Dobsonflies. We just found this awesome documentation of Dobsonfly courtship on Seabrooke Leckie’s website.
I like This