#fishfly

[coolbugs]

Bug of the not-really-sure-but-it's-been-awhile

Somebody needs a comb!! ;-)

(spring fishfly, Chauliodes rastricornis)

[onenicebugperday]

hanging out with my family when we got jumpscared by the biggest buge we’ve ever seen …. got it outside but it was so cool to see! pictures are rough but any idea what it might be? from basic research it might be a male dobsonfly but im not sure! (we’re in coastal massachusetts)

Looks like a fishfly rather than a dobsonfly, but they are in the same order and look very similar! Fishflies just have smaller jaws. Male dobsonflies have absolutely comically enormous jaws that you can't miss.

[herpsandbirds]

Can you ID please in Mo

Insects ID - MO, USA:

Hello, yes, the L photo is a Spring Fishfly (Chauliodes rastricornis), Corydalidae, order Megaloptera.

The R photo is a Hickory Borer Beetle (Knulliana cincta spinifera), family Cerambycidae.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Spring Fishfly - Chauliodes rastricornis

The lakes and forests of cottage country always have so many surprises when it comes to insects. I thought the Hudsonian Whiteface Dragonfly was going to be the highlight, but then I saw this large-winged individual trying to phase his way through a screen door to get inside. When I first saw the wingspan and flight pattern, I expected to see a giant Moth, so imagine my surprise to see an elusive Fishfly! He sure does fly like a Moth, and even rests like one with the wings folded backward and was drawn by the porchlights. He was definitely the highlight of the evening and greatly dwarfed all other nearby insects! While an insect like this appears intimidating, rest assured that he is perfectly harmless and can be handled with care. According to Bugguide and other identification sources, this specimen is more likely to be a Spring Fishfly rather than a Summer Fishfly (C. pectinicornis), but not just because he was found flying in May instead of July. Given habitat ranges and differing timeframes of adult emergence from the water, seasonality cannot be the sole factor for identification. Apparently, the best way to distinguish between the 2 species are to examine the two parallel markings on the back of the insect's head, just behind their ocelli.

As can be seen from Pictures 5 and 7, our Spring Fishfly friend has dark-colored head markings contrasting with its lighter shell. The Summer Fishfly's head markings and body are the reverse of that (bright markings, darker shell). This identification however, doesn't take into account other species of Fishfly that may call lakes home, so examine your Megalopteran carefully. As if net-veined wings and yellow highlights along the head's mouthparts, thorax and wing-bases weren't enough of an allure for the camera, there are the elongated and feathered antennae to admire. There's no doubt that these antennae used to locate the enticing pheromones of females (also similar to the function of feathered Moth antennae). The feathering designated this individual as a male; a female Fishfly would have had serrated antennae with saw-like grooves. At a passing glance, with their slight curvature they resemble grand mandibles! However, that style of antenna (pectinate) my only occur for this genus; other genera may have other types. For example, Neohermes Fishflies have antennae that resemble balls on a string (moniliform). Mileage may vary, but if you're looking to try and find some Fishflies, approach the water in spring (or summer) and see what insects come to the light. Have some bug repellent or patches handy to keep the Mosquitoes away, as adult Caddisflies aren't going to eat them.

Pictures were taken on May 27, 2024 in Muskoka with a Google Pixel 4. The instances of white ocelli seen in the images here are due to the camera's flash.

[tentacledtyrant]

warning - 3/27/24

oil on bristol

[pigeon-feet]

rejoice, for dobsonfly season is upon us

update i’m a dumbass this is a fishfly . so. in that news

rejoice, for fishfly season is upon us

[diiiptera]

New bugs! Some fishflies and a giant ichneumonid wasp.

[shownumetal]

beautiful lil fishfly joining me on break

[sorrow--wolf]

The BI should have fishflies.

(Or something adjacent at least.) Every time I think they're gone, they come back again...

I'm pretty sure bluejays don't eat fishflies, but I don't care. Also, sorry about the bad bird anatomy, I kept getting severe headaches from the difficulty, so I didn't want to spend too much more time figuring it out.

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

It's fishfly season! (Finger for scale, she's a big girl!)

[onenicebugperday]

Various little fiends from throughout these summer weeks to share with the people! Since it's summer and the windows open, I've had a ton of moths fluttering in and out as well

All extremely nice! But I'm especially fond of the fishfly in the second photo. Really excellent antennae :)

[highwaytohellgrammite]

My son, the beasty

[milkyberryjsk]

(logs back in, covered in blood) hi!!!!!

[osidius-el-enfatico]

haunting levels of emotion in these four panels. but even for how much you feel this, tumblrs formatting kills a bit of its force.

in comics when you lay out your panels, the space between the lines marking each panel is called the gutter. youre supposed to make each panel its own idea, and the gutter allows you to jump from one idea to the next. when panels dont have such space its called a bleed which is used to make action more intense usually.

this page is both a bleeding and a guttered page. theres no line limiting each panel, but there is also a sea of white between each face. each face is an idea on its own but its also a part of a whole. even when you jump from one character in the future to one in the past (the third, classis lemire style, face is in 2021; the other is in the 19th century) you see them as they are and as the same. they share a pain you can reach out and touch.

i love you jeff lemire

(from fishflies #6)