Please identify this weird bug for me.
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:44 AM
I was visiting my parents’ lake cottage in the Adirondack Mountains in mid-June and found this bug by the downstairs brick patio. It was raining heavily and he was just sitting in a dry spot. It was about 11 pm. I scooped him up in a dish and found 2 more of the same size in the same vicinity. It was very docile and didn’t freak out when I picked him up; didn’t try to strike or fight at all. He wasn’t affected by light or water. (I flushed his two friends down the toilet and they didn’t struggle at all when put into the water.) I put him in a baggie and took his picture with a measuring tape to show his size. I left him in the baggie hoping he would suffocate and I could keep his body to show people for identification, but he chewed through the baggie and disappeared. I went back to the area where I found him and his friends but haven’t seen any since. This is in a pine-y, wooded area next to a lake. Pine needles are more abundant than grass. The patio where he wa s sitting is made of brick pavers. My parents also have a jacuzzi tub on the same patio, but they were not next to it when I found them. I am at a loss, finding nothing online even close to this bug to compare. Help!
Thank you for your assistance.
Upstate New York, Adirondack Mountains, Lake Algonquin
Hellgrammite
You have found Hellgrammites, the larvae of Dobsonflies. We really don’t condone flushing living things down the toilet. Hellgrammites are semiaquatic and can survive total emersion for a period of time. We would like to believe that the two individuals that were flushed will emerge unscathed at the end of the line, but that is probably just a fantasy.
Dobsonfly
Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 9:06 PM
I’m pretty sure this is a female Dobsonfly. It’s not a bad photo, thought you might like to add it to your archives. She was in our kitchen this evening but is now safely back outside.
Ann R.
Auburn Area – California
California Dobsonfly
Hi Ann,
The California Dobsonfly, Neohermes californicus, is in the same family as the Dobsonfly, Corydalidae, but it is classified in a different genus. According to BugGuide, the California Dobsonfly is actually a Gray Fishfly, and its antennae are quite different from the eastern Dobsonfly.
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Posted 30 June 2009
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giant 5″, beetle-like bug with long mandibles, 6 legs and 4 glassy clear and black wings
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 10:56 AM
he or she is clinging on the wall outside our office in Indianapolis, in the shade, it’s about 95 degrees outside. When agitated with a paper, it bites at the paper with mandibles, but doesn’t fly away. It moved over to the edge of the column away from the paper after a while. It did not move it’s wings at all, but would move it’s head, articulating on the long neck.
My guess is some kind of North American Stag Beetle? Maybe it’s moulting or something and doesn’t want to use it’s wings?
Disappointed I can’t use “Green or Brown, depending on if I’ve watered.” as the answer to the human test.
Alex in Indy
Indianapolis, IN, USA
Dobsonfly
Hi Alex,
We have been away for several days attending a wonderful outdoor wedding in the redwood forest in Mendocino. While there we saw our very first live Banana Slug, though we did not photograph it. We will talk to our web host about the human question on our form. This is actually a male Dobsonfly. We have recently posted several images of female Dobsonflies with their smaller mandibles as well as an image of an immature Hellgrammite. The male Dobsonfly, according to the information we have read, uses his mandibles to compete for a mate, but we have never seen photo documentation to that effect.
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Posted 29 June 2009
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What is this?
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 9:39 PM
My freind and I were camping in Algonquin Park for six day on the Petawawa River. On the second last night we came across this interesting looking centipeide? at around 9:30 in the evening. After following it around for a whille we noticed another one. We then paned the rocky campsite and saw may of these things crawling towards us. They all must have been about 4 to 5 inches in length and a half inch wide. As the next day went on we saw very few (2 or three of them)of there on our travels down river. When night approced that evening we saw them againg coming out in numbers. Thge only difference this night is that they were crawing all over my tent as I slept. At one point of the night I woke up and counted ten on my tent. It was deffenatly a very creepy ni ght! I am very interested to know what this is?
Greg Noel
Algonquin Park on the Petawawa River
Hellgrammite
Dear Greg,
If your camping trip involved fishing, you missed an opportunity to stock up on one of the most prized of all live bait, Hellgrammites. Hellgrammites are the larvae of Dobsonflies. We have recently posted several images of Dobsonflies, so your Hellgrammite is a welcome current posting to our site. Your first-hand observations of the nocturnal wanderings of Hellgrammites is unlike anything we have ever read in a traditional entomology text, and as such, it is priceless.
locust like with very long pincers
Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 6:38 PM
We found a live bug in the trees of the North Georgia Mountains. It is 4 and 1/4 inches long with long, external, transparent wings, marked with black “sketches” to look like birch bark. It has what appears to be two sets of small mandibles, one set it straight and the other curved. It also has a pair of very long, thin, 2 inch mandible like peices that resemble calipers and cross in front. Its head is large, thick and ziggurat shaped. The bug also has a strong rotting oder. (It is very alive and kicking however–not dead!) I appologize for the condition of the photo–I don’t have a great zoom on my camera. Thanks so much for your help!
Heather Johnston
Elijay, North Georgia Mountians
Male Dobsonfly
Hi Heather,
The descriptiveness and entertainment value of your letter more than makes up for the blurriness of your photo. This is a male Dobsonfly who can be distinguished from the female by his caliper-like mandibles. Though they look quite fierce, they actually are incapable of biting. The female is the biter. The mandibles of the male are used, according to what we have read, in the mating process or in the competition for the mate. We would love to see photo documentation of that. We have just recently posted several photos of female Dobsonflies and a photo of the closely related Giant Fishfly, so your letter is a welcome addition to our site. The Dobsonfly is one of our most common summer identification requests.
Thank you for your response. It is particularly good to know that the dobsonfly does not wield those mandibles on hikers!
Much appreciation,
Heather Johnston
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Posted 20 June 2009
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HELP! Darth Vader bug (what is it?)
Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 6:08 PM
We were on vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, staying at a cabin in the woods. Every night, insects would come out of the forest and land on the outside walls around the porch lights, Mostly moths of various kinds (Including 2 luna months), but these two bugs were bizzarre!
We don’t have any idea what they are. Can you help?
I am sending you pictures of both of them.
FIREHAWK
The Globe, near Blowing Rock, NC
Dobsonfly
Dear FIREHAWK,
We don’t like to post letters with unrelated insects as it compromises our archiving system. This is a female Dobsonfly, and it is the second example we are posting today.
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Posted 19 June 2009
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Moth?
Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Hi Lisa and Daniel,
I can’t figure out if this is a lacewing or a moth or neither (the antennae are throwing me off). I researched numerous images online but can’t find a picture of it. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Katherine Gividen
Tylertown, Mississippi
Summer Fishfly
Hi Katherine,
This is a Summer Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis, which differs from the related Dobsonfly in that the Summer Fishfly has combed or pectinate antennae while those of Dobsonflies are threadlike or beadlike. Both insects are in the order Megaloptera and the Family Corydalidae. According to BugGuide: “Larvae aquatic, omnivorous: detritivores, or herbivores, also predatory on other invertebrates. Larvae tend to live in calm bodies of water with lots of detritus. Larvae leave the water to pupate under bark, inside rotting logs. Pupation takes approximately 10 days. Adults emerge to mate, live perhaps a week. There appears to be just one flight per year, and the life cycle may be just one year, though older references quote a 2-3 year life cycle. Eggs are laid in masses on vegetation near still bodies of water. Larvae hatch and crawl to water. “ We will be posting your letter and photo between tow letters and photos of Dobsonflies for comparison.
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Posted 19 June 2009
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lantern fly?
Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 7:56 PM
I found this weird bug outside by the light on the side of my house in the appalachian foothills of NC. We live out in the country and see some strange bugs/moths, but this is super weird!! Any thoughts?
Sarah
Nebo, NC
Dobsonfly
Hi Sarah,
This is a Dobsonfly, and it is one of our most common summer insect ID requests. It appears that your specimen is a female, though the angle does not allow us to fully view the mandibles. the mandibles of the male Dobsonfly are much longer and formidable looking, though the female is more inclined to bite. Though the bite may pinch, it is harmless. A few days ago we received another image of a Dobsonfly, but have not managed to post it yet. Perhaps we will hunt for it now.
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Posted 19 June 2009
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large insect w/ big chompers in central Texas
Tue, May 26, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Howdy. I live in Austin, TX, but my family has a weekend house near the west Texas town of Llano. We were there this past weekend and found this big guy on the screen door to the kitchen. These photos don’t give a sense of scale, but the thing was about 3 1/2 inches from the tip of the jaws to the end of the wings. I couldn’t tell whether it had one set of wings or two. We didn’t bother the bug, and it didn’t bother us, but its big jaws looked respectable. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Randall
Llano county, west Texas
Dobsonfly
Hello Randall,
This is a female Dobsonfly. Just yesterday we posted a photo of a Hellgrammite, the larva of a Dobsonfly. The male Dobsonfly has even more impressive mandibles, but it is the female that is capable of delivering a painful nip. Though the bite of a female Dobsonfly can pinch, she is basically harmless.
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Posted 27 May 2009
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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.
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Posted 23 May 2009
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