Hellgramites (dobsonfly larvae) are voracious predators that live under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, steams and rivers. Note their powerful, well developed mandibles. Click image to magnify.
Dobsonflies are elongate insects found throughout North and Central America. Adults may attain lengths in excess of five inches, with wingspans approaching twice their body length.
Adult male dobsonflies use their mandibles, approaching 1 inch in length, to grasp females during copulation.
Female retain the short, powerful mandibles they possessed as larvae, sometimes inflicting painful bites that can draw blood.
Both genders utilize an irritating, foul-smelling anal spray as a last-ditch defense.
Dobsonflies spend most of their life in the larval stage (see above) as voracious predators that live under rocks at the bottoms of lakes, steams and rivers.
After several years the larvae crawl onto land to pupate. They remain in their cocoons over the winter, emerging from late spring into mid-summer, mating, depositing their eggs near the water (often on overhanging vegetation), and then die within a week of emergence from their pupal cocoons.
Very cool – I’ve not yet seen these myself (probably because I’m far too interested in land lubbers to spend the time looking).
[...] nature publication. A brief overview of dobsonfly natural history can be found as part of the image’s original entry. Share this:TwitterLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]